Ethics

Alcohol, bicycling, and head and brain injury: a study of impaired cyclists' riding patterns

Crocker P, Zad O, Milling T, Lawson KA. Amer J Emer Med 2010;28(1):68-72

This study finds no significant link between helmet use and head injury, despite an apparent goal of doing so. It does, however, find clear and unpredicted evidence of a link between alcohol use and head and brain injury, which could be of significance much greater than the authors appear to realise.

Bias and conflict of interest in older pro-helmet research

Rune Elvik, from the Norwegian Institute of Transport Economics, uses the latest methodologies to identify bias and conflict of interest in older helmet research that has greatly exaggerated the benefits. Analysing more recent studies, any benefit vanishes entirely.

Errors and omissions in Canadian research group's bicycle helmet papers

Frequently cited research regarding the effect of helmet laws on cycle use does not stand up to scrutiny

Misleading claims

Cycle helmets are the subject of many myths and exaggerations which are often used to promote helmet use and laws

Misleading research

Reviews of papers that are fundamentally flawed and in which the data sometimes provides good evidence for an opposite conclusion to that advanced by the authors.

Peer Review in the dock

BBC Radio investigated growing concerns about the poor quality of much peer-reviewed research. There are strong parallels in research concerned with cycle helmets.

Related News

Ethics

See also