Should Ski Helmets be made compulsory?
by Chris on 14/04/09 at 5:42 pm
Following the death of Actress Natasha Richardson back in March 2009 a debate has been sparked as to whether Ski helmets should be made compulsory for all Ski & Snowboarders.
Natasha Richardson was not wearing a Ski helmet but a spokes person says there’s no way of knowing if she would have been protected if she had been wearing an approved helmet.
The Canadian Standards Association says wearing a helmet while skiing or snowboarding can reduce the risk of a head injury by 60 per cent.
In recent months there has been a sharp increase in the number of people wearing a ski helmet.
This winter (08 / 09) Lower Austria made it compulsory for all children under the age of 14 to wear a Ski helmet after the death of a 41-year old woman who had a high-speed collision with the German politician, Dieter Althaus, back in January 2009.
The German Politician was wearing a Ski helmet and survived, while the 41 year old woman died and did not have any head protection.
After this accident, helmet sales increased dramatically throughout Austria & Germany and some shops ran out of stock!
A Change in Attitude towards wearing a Ski Helmet?
The Attitudes to wearing a helmet have changed considerably in recent years.
A Ski Instructor recently published this article:
“Personally I have been wearing a ski helmet for the past seven years but when I first wore one as a ski instructor, the head of my ski school in Switzerland preferred me not to wear one as he felt it sent out the wrong signal.
“It makes instructors look like they are extreme skiers about to jump off cliffs and ski dangerously,” I was told.
Now, though, ski instructors are encouraged to wear a helmet as it is thought to set a good example.
Whether it is made compulsory or not the death of Natasha Richardson is certain to see more and more people opting to wear a helmet on the slopes.
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