U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) voted unanimously today to issue a new federal safety standard for bike helmets. The new standard will for the first time provide one uniform mandatory safety standard that all bike helmets must meet. About 900 people, including more than 200 children, are killed annually in bicycle-related incidents, and about 60 percent of these deaths involve a head injury. In addition, more than 500,000 people are treated annually in U.S. hospital emergency rooms for bicycle-related injuries. Research indicates that a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 85 percent.
Beginning February 1999, all bike helmets manufactured or imported for sale in the United States will have to meet the new federal safety standard set by CPSC. The new standard ensures that bike helmets will adequately protect the head and that chin straps will be strong enough to prevent the helmet from coming off in a crash, collision or fall. In addition,the new standard requires that helmets intended for children up to age five cover more of the head to provide added protection to the more fragile areas of a young child's skull.
Helmets meeting the new standard will carry a label stating that they meet CPSC's new safety standard. This will help eliminate confusion among consumers about which certification mark to look for when buying a helmet. Previously, helmets met various voluntary standards and were certified by a number of standard development groups. In 1994, Congress directed CPSC to develop a mandatory safety standard for bike helmets to replace these voluntary standards.
"Because of this new standard, families will know that the bike helmets they buy meet stringent federal requirements aimed at preventing head injuries," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "But there is no safety rule more important than making sure you wear a helmet every time you ride a bike. It's the single most critical thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash."
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