Transcript Helmets Why 4-H

Helmets
Why Utah 4-H ?
By: Colette Floyd- 2009
State 4-H Horse Program Coordinator
Why are helmets important ?
EVERYONE FALLS OFF
Each land-grant university is seen as a leader in its responsibility to
provide for the health, safely and well being of program
participants, whether youth or adults. All 4-H youth participating in
activities involving risk need to have the best protection available to
ensure an optimal learning environment.
• Safety of kids
• Liability
Statistics on helmet safety
• Typically, the common cause of death and serious
injury in all riders is head injury; with the
percentage of these injuries causing death and
serious injury being higher in young riders.
• Statistics gathered in 2001 by the NEISS show
almost two thirds of rider deaths result from
head injuries, and 19 percent of all equestrian
injuries involve the head and face.
“The rate of serious injury per number of riding
hours is estimated to be higher for horseback
riders than for motorcyclists and automobile
racers”
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Fact # 4. The most common reason among riders for admission to hospital and death are
head injuries.
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Fact # 5: A fall from two feet (60 cm) can cause permanent brain damage. A horse elevates a
rider eight feet (three meters) or more above ground.
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Fact # 7: According to the National Electronic Surveillance System 2001, 17.8 percent of
emergency room equine injury occurred to youth ages 5-14
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Fact # 8: A rider who has one head injury has a 40 percent chance of suffering a second head
injury. Children, teens and young adults are most vulnerable to sudden death from second
impact syndrome: severe brain swelling as a result of suffering a second head injury before
recovery from the first head injury.
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Fact # 11: Helmets work. Most deaths from head injury can be prevented by wearing ASTM
(American Society for Testing Materials), SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) approved helmets
that fit correctly and have the chin strap firmly applied. Other types of helmets, including
bike helmets, are inadequate.
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Fact # 12: Racing organizations require helmets and as a result jockeys now suffer less head
injuries than pleasure riders. The US Pony Club lowered their head injury rate 29 percent with
mandatory helmet use..
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Fact # 13: The American Academy of Pediatrics, The American Medical Association through
the Committee on Sports Medicine, Canadian Medical Association, and the American Medical
Equestrian Association recommend that approved, fitted and secured helmets be worn on all
rides by all horseback riders.
Liability
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An equine activity sponsor or equine professional is not liable
for an injury to or the death of a participant engaged in an
equine activity, unless the sponsor or professional:
(a) (i) provided the equipment or tack; and
(ii) the equipment or tack caused the injury;
(b) (i) provided the equine; and
(ii) failed to make reasonable and prudent efforts to
determine whether:
(A) the participant could engage safely in the equine activity
and safely manage the particular equine; or
(B) the equine could behave safely with the participant;
(c) owns, leases, rents, or is in legal possession and control of
land or facilities upon which the participant sustained injuries
because of a dangerous condition which was known to or
should have been known to the sponsor or professional and
for which warning signs have not been conspicuously posted;
(d) (i) commits an act or omission that constitutes negligence,
gross negligence, or willful or wanton disregard for the safety
of the participant; and (ii) that act or omission causes the
injury; or
(e) intentionally injures or causes the injury to the participant.
commits an act or omission that
constitutes negligence, gross
negligence, or willful or wanton
disregard for the safety of the
participant; and (ii) that act or
omission causes the injury
States with Helmet Laws
In 1994 only 11 states had no laws regarding
helmets – Utah was one of them
Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska,
New Mexico, Ohio,
Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas, and Utah
Other states
11 states have statewide no rule
25 states have complete rules (all events, all
the time
Other mid-western states
• Arizona, Colorado, Idaho
– No STATE law…however
– Counties can choose
Colorado
– Fremont, Jackson, Larimer, San Miguel
– El Paso, La Plata (gymkhana only)
Arizona
– Pima – English and gymkhana
– Navajo- requires a release form
Idaho
– Cannon – 11 and under requirement
– Clark- mandatory
– Franklin- optional
Utah
• Currently Helmets are mandatory for English
riders
• Helmets come highly recommended for other
events
• Helmets will be required at all Utah 4-H
sponsored horse shows starting 2011.
• Wasatch County
– Requesting aid to buy helmets for their riders
People’s opinions
I am fully supportive of having kids wear
helmets when riding horses. My husband and
I ran a boys ranch for 17 years and were very
thankful many times that we had insisted on
helmets.
thanks,
• Kathy Peterson
Why do we not take the one simple step that will protect our youth
riders from most head injuries?
Many states now require 4-H members to wear approved equestrian
helmets whenever mounted in 4-H activities. ASTM approved
helmets are now cheap and light-weight. Of course, some parents
protest and some youth complain at first - but if you just make it an
unconditional rule, soon it is a non-issue. The only reasons not to
require helmets are based on appearance, fitting in, and 'being
cool'. Isn't one of the "H"s for 'Health'? Do we really want to send
the message to youth that a traditional look is important enough to
justify engaging in risky behavior? "Allowing" riders to wear
helmets is not enough. Most youth do not have either the
knowledge to make an informed decision or the determination to
do something their peers (and some of their instructors and role
models) are not doing.
Please read and share the information below on head injuries and
riders. Please show a copy of the short video "Every Time, Every
Ride" (made by the Washington state extension service) at
Leadermete.
Ellen Nicholson Walker
Teacher, Utah's Electronic High School
Editor, HHAA newsletter
Why not wear Helmets ?
• Helmets are ugly
• Helmets aren’t cool
• Helmets are non-traditional part of western attire
– We aren’t used to them
– Is fashion worth our kid’s safety ?
Helmets reduced
head injury
among skiers by
60%
(6,000 skiers
involved in study)
Bicycle
helmets
reduce the
risk of serious
head injury by
as much as
85% and the
risk of brain
injury by as
much as 88%.
Delores Toole First Ever Barrel Racer to Wear Troxel Riding Helmet at National Finals Rodeo
"I want riders...to know that it is
okay to wear a helmet," said the
Minter, Kansas, homemaker and
pro rodeo competitor. "Helmets
have become an accepted part of
other dangerous sports, and it is
time they became an accepted
part of western riding and rodeo
too."
Delores Toole – 2004 NFR
Helmets cost too much
Basic helmets start at $30 – Troxel Sport Helmet
Helmets will Hurt Enrollment
4-H Horse as percent of total 4-H enrollment
25
20
2002-2003 – No helmets
required
15
2004- Program announced
10
2005- Helmets required
2006- Helmets required
5
0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Larimer County, Co. enrollment 2002-2006
Helmet safety
• MUST BE APPROVED
– American Standard for Testing Materials (ASTM)
and Safety Equipment Institutes (SEI).
• Each rider must have a helmet
– Allowing riders to share helmets or wear ill-fitting
helmets is a greater liability then not wearing
helmets at all
– RIDERS CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO SHARE HELMETS
Every Time, Every Ride
– Produced by
• Washington State 4-H Foundation
• 7612 Pioneer Way
• Puyallup, WA 98371-4998
Why make it Statewide
• We ARE the people look to for answers,
policies and rules
• More efficient and reduces the pressure (and
possibly liability) on each county
• Prevents problems and misunderstandings
during State events in different counties
Can we afford not to ?
Healthy heads…they’re half of the program
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American Medical Equestrian Association September 2000, Vol. XI, Number 3
http://asci.uvm.edu/equine/law/amea/sep00nws.htm
UTAH CODE ANNOTATED
TITLE 78. JUDICIAL CODE
PART III. PROCEDURE
CHAPTER 27b. LIMITATIONS ON LIABILITY FOR EQUINE ACTIVITIES
University of Vermont Study of Mounted Accidents 1993-2007
http://www.equinelawsafety.org/case/mounted/
JL Firth, “Equestrian injuries”, in Sports injuries: mechanisms, prevention and
treatment. (cited on CDC web page)
Barrel Racer Joins Troxel Helmets in Promoting Head Protection and Equestrian
Safety
Delores Toole First Ever Barrel Racer to Wear Troxel Riding Helmet at National
Finals Rodeo http://www.troxelhelmets.com/about/newsdetail.php?id=11
Norwegian study published in Feb. 22, 2006 Journal of American Medical
Association
Injury Fact Book, Center for Disease Control
Helmet Policies and the Colorado 4-H Horse Program