Letters

Your article on "Health Sense" in the May 27 issue of the Record encouraged faculty members, staff and students to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and quite rightly emphasized the importance of exercise as a crucial part of that healthy lifestyle. One enjoyable way to exercise is by riding a bicycle.

Unfortunately, the front-page picture accompanying the article showed a bicycle rider without a helmet. While riding a bicycle will improve your health, riding a bicycle without wearing a helmet greatly increases the risk. Most deaths while bicycling are caused by head injuries, and helmets can prevent most of those deaths. The American Medical Association and the World Health Organization encourage the use of bicycle helmets. Members of the University community who have died in bicycle accidents would probably still be alive today had they been wearing a helmet. A healthy lifestyle includes both exercising and taking appropriate safety precautions, and wearing a helmet for bicycling is one of the precautions that can save lives.
—Dr. Joel Howell, Victor Vaughan Professor of the History of Medicine and professor of internal medicine, history, and health management and policy

I was dismayed to see a picture of a bicyclist without a helmet in the HealthSense article appearing on the front page of the May 27 Record. The caption reads: "Several University-sponsored programs such as Active U encourage faculty members, staff and students to maintain a healthy lifestyle." I am a bicycle commuter, but I do not regard riding without a helmet as part of a "healthy lifestyle."

There are over 750 bicycle fatalities in the U.S. each year. The University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center reports on its Web site that: "Most bicycling deaths result from head injury. Wearing a bicycle helmet reduces the overall risk of head injuries by 85 percent."

The Record should have reported that the singlemost important precaution for reducing serious bicycling injuries is to wear a helmet approved by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the American National Standards Institute or the Snell Memorial Foundation. Helmet safety standards are continually updated so bicyclists should buy a new helmet every few years. Also, they should choose a helmet of the proper size and adjust it so that it fits snugly, allowing no more than 1 inch of movement in any direction.
—Kevin Compton, Computer Science and Engineering Division, College of Engineering

Editor's note: The University Record took the image of a bicyclist for part three in our series on health care costs to illustrate the importance of physical activity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We regret not choosing a photo that represents the safety precautions we endorse.

The University Record welcomes letters from members of the University community. Those on topics of broad University interest will be given preference for publication. Letters should be no more than 500 words and must be signed. The editorial staff reserves the right to reject any letter and to edit and/or condense letters for publication. The staff also reserves the right to limit the number of letters submitted by the same individual. Letters may appear in small type. Organizations submitting material must include the name and address of an appropriate officer. Letters must be received by noon Wednesday to receive consideration for publication in the next issue.