Strongly recommending use of helmets during two-wheeler rides to avoid direct injury to the brain in the event of road accidents, health experts have stressed the need for use of the safety device to reduce the risk of permanent injuries and also death.
Dr Narendra Vaidya, chief orthopaedic surgeon at Lokmanya Hospital, said helmets invariably act as shock-absorber during road accidents and protect the head from direct impact.
“The ever-improving road conditions have been causing high-velocity road accidents, during which the head is the most vulnerable part of human body. If a rider wears a helmet, it helps in avoiding direct injury to the brain. The injuries to head during road-accidents often either causes long-lasting and permanent deformity in patient or leads to death,” he told Newsline.
Vaidya said road accidents involving brain injuries carry 33 times more chances of death as compared to injury to any other body parts.
Another expert, Dr Shailesh Hadgaonkar, who is a consulting orthopaedic and spine surgeon at Sancheti Hospital said wearing helmet safely protects brain and brain-stem during road-accidents involving two-wheelers.“Helmet is the best safety device to avoid direct trauma to brain during road accidents. It also protects human eyes from adverse weather conditions such as heavy rains and sunlight,” he said.
Experts underlined the need for promoting use of helmets in a city such as Pune, where the number of two-wheeler users is significantly high.