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Fall 2004
Helmet Use on Motor Scooters and Mopeds
is a
NO-BRAINER
By Pam Holt, RN, BSN
 As I sat at
the stop light at Fremont and Sunshine in Springfield, I noticed the moped
rider to my right. He was not wearing a helmet and he was dressed in dress
slacks, a dress shirt and a tie. I rolled down my window and asked him,
“Where is your helmet?” He knowingly replied, “Helmets aren’t required on
mopeds.” Quickly, I commented, “But you could be hit by a car and severely
brain injured. Hospitals can’t fix brain injuries.” He raised his eyebrows
at me, shrugged his shoulders as the light turned green and took off on
his moped.
I think about that man every time I see a moped or motor scooter. I wonder
if he listened to my advice and now wears a helmet. According to Missouri
state law, a motor scooter or moped must have a motor of not more than 50
cubic centimeters and a maximum speed of not more than 30 miles per hour
on level ground. The moped rider I talked to on the street is right –
helmets are not required when operating a motorized bicycle. However,
Missouri has one of the worst records when it comes to safety legislation.
Our state’s safety laws do not provide the highest or even a mediocre
amount of safety. Many residents use the law simply as a guide, while
others have the mentality, “If the law says I don’t have to wear a helmet,
then why should I?”
There is good reason to be informed of safety issues. Though we never plan
to be the victim of a trauma, St. John’s Trauma and Burn Center admits
approximately 1,800 trauma patients a year. That means 1,800 trauma
patients have had their lives changed forever by some type of injury. Some
fully recover from their injuries; others will suffer forever as a result
of their traumatic event. Their families will live with these injuries as
well. The choice to be safe is not just a personal choice, but it is a
choice that affects everyone around you.
Money is another reason to be safe. Traumatic injuries cost Ozarkers
millions of dollars per year. The cost of a helmet compared to the cost of
a hospital stay is truly a wise investment.
The most impressive reason to wear a helmet is to prevent injury and
maintain your normal everyday function. You see, the secret is in the
brain. The brain has the same consistency as cream cheese. When you hit
your head, or your head gets hit by another object, your brain can
actually be damaged without causing visible damage to the skull. This is
called a closed head injury, and resulting brain damage cannot be fixed.
There is not a doctor in Springfield, or any other city, who can fix
damaged brain tissue. Brain surgeons or neurosurgeons can prevent
secondary damage to the brain that is caused by swelling.
They can also stop bleeding or remove large blood clots on the brain, but
they cannot fix damaged brain tissue and cells. This means that if you
damage the part of your brain that allows you to be toilet trained,
following the injury you may no longer be toilet trained.
Depending on the damage caused to the brain, you may or may not be able to
relearn toileting skills and control over your bodily functions. So,
instead of wearing a helmet, you may find yourself wearing a diaper. The
same is true for other areas of your brain (including speech, emotion,
bodily control, etc). Once they are damaged, they cannot be fixed. Just as
spinal cord injuries can not be repaired, the brain cannot be fixed.
Simply because the law does not require you to wear a safety device does
not mean that you are immune from a traumatic injury. You should always
make the safest choice for you and your family. The same is true for
bicycling, seatbelts, car seats or any other safety device. What the law
dictates and what is the safest choice are not always the same.
I challenge you to make the safe choice – choose a helmet.
Pam Holt, RN, BSN, is the trauma prevention education coordinator
for St. John’s.
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