BMA report does not give the whole picture

EDITOR—The Child Accident Prevention Trust was interested to read the report of the BMA's Board of Education and Science on the compulsory use of cycle helmets.1 The trust agrees with the board's recommendations, in that society is not yet ready to accept legislation in this area, and the other recommendations on the value of educational efforts to increase the use of cycling in general and of helmet wearing.

However, we would have liked to see more evidence of the effectiveness of helmets in reducing deaths and brain injury, which seems to be important in deciding to what extent helmets should be worn. In the report this is given a somewhat cursory review of just over one page, whereas standards and their verification, and the purchase and care of helmets, …