Ski helmet use an important safety issue
In his Jan. 23 column, Bob Mentzinger argued that the benefits of ski helmets are “dubious at best, misleading at worst,” and that they provide merely a “scoche” head injury insurance.
He also suggested that we would spend our skiing money more wisely if we purchased an advanced ski school lesson instead of a helmet.
I think it is dubious and misleading for the author to claim that ski helmets offer little protection from head injuries. A Google search yielded numerous articles detailing the safety benefits of ski helmets.
One article in JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association, vol. 295 #8, Feb. 22,2006, p.919-924) concluded that ski helmet use was associated with a “60 percent reduction in the risk for head injury” — hardly a scoche.
Another article (“Helmets for Sports and Recreation: An Injury Battle Far from Over,” A. Stewart Levy, Colorado Neurological Institute Review, Summer 2000, Vol. 11 #1) concluded that helmets do afford protection in high-speed accidents, do not increase the risk of cervical spine injuries, and do not result in increased injury rates secondary to overconfidence.
Although good skiing technique, physical conditioning and safety awareness are important, it is irresponsible in my view to even imply that there is no evidence to support ski helmet use.
I would also suggest that in the future, the newspaper should attempt to verify the factual accuracy of columns it publishes.
Ski helmet use is an important safety issue and to do otherwise is also irresponsible.
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I’m reading an article this week about 2 people who were carried off the mountain in separate incidents at Sunday River with ski helmets on their heads who later died.
You can cite an outdated article in a medical journal, and I can cite a few on mountain doctors who’ve seen whiplash injuries turn minor wrecks into serious nerve damage just as readily as the results of a study published decades ago that say helmets save lives.
Ski helmets do save lives, in some cases. And, in others, they exacerbate minor injuries.
I would note the advertising at the side of this Web page lists several ways for your readers to buy ski helmets as one possible source of your anger toward my column (which represents my opinion and thus needs not be “checked for facts.”)
It’s a pity that people with a vested interest in selling products don’t take a more circumspect view of the issues.
Bob Mentzinger
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