A new survey paid for by the Post Office has found that over half of skiers admit they rarely or never wear a helmet when on the slopes (51 per cent), despite the risk of serious injury.
The research released today by Post Office Travel Insurance Research was conducted for them by a company called Populus last month (October 2011) among 508 UK adults who have been on a skiing holiday within the last five years.
It found that the least likely to don a helmet are seasoned skiers, who have been on more than five skiing holidays in the last five years. Nearly all of them rarely or never wear a helmet (94 per cent) when on the slopes. In comparison first time skiers are savvier on the slopes with just under half wearing a helmet (49 per cent).
Over 55s were found to be the least likely to have worn a helmet on a skiing holiday (36 per cent), compared to over half (58 per cent) of 18 to 34 year olds who are more safety conscious.
'Never having considered wearing one' is the principle reason (48 per cent) why skiers have never worn a helmet. For just over a quarter, not seeing skiing or snowboarding as a sport where people wear helmets (27 per cent) and it being a habit not to wear one (27 per cent) are other reasons given for not wearing a helmet on the slopes. Over confidence is also a key reason for many not to protect themselves, with a quarter admitting they don't think they need one (25 per cent).
Three in five women think it is unfashionable to wear a helmet and believe it messes up their hair (15 per cent). Only 3% of men said they worried about how a helmet will make them look. Men are more likely to give in to bravado, shunning a helmet because they think they just don't need it (30 per cent).
Of those skiers who do wear a helmet, one in five (20 per cent) say they felt it was necessary as a result of either having an accident previously (10 per cent), suffering a serious head injury themselves (2 per cent) or a close friend or relative suffering a serious head injury (8 per cent).
For those who are planning to wear a helmet on their next skiing holiday, reports in the media of bad skiing accidents (48 per cent) and seeing more people wearing helmets on the slopes (43 per cent) are the key reasons why.
Dr Mike Langran, ski patrol doctor at CairnGorm Mountain in the Scottish Highlands and GP at the Aviemore Medical Practice said: "Helmets have been a hot topic in the snow-sports safety forum for many years now. I am a helmet wearer and would always recommend others to wear one too. There is good evidence to indicate that a helmet will protect you against many of the common injuries that the head is susceptible too when on the slopes, although the overall risk of injury remains low. A variety of recent studies have concluded that wearing a helmet may reduce your risk of head injury by up to 60%.
"Remember though, wearing a helmet does not make you invincible! If you do buy a helmet make sure it fits properly and is designed for snow sports by meeting one or more of the following standards - ASTM F2040, Snell RS98 or CEN 1077."
"Although we don't insist our customers wear a helmet on the slopes, it is something that we strongly recommend." Said Sarah Munro, Head of Travel Insurance at the Post Office. "Whilst wearing a helmet doesn't make you immune to injury, it does add another layer of protection – so you can relax and enjoy your holiday knowing you've done everything you can to be as safe as possible. Making sure you have travel insurance that specifically covers winter sports is another precaution that will be invaluable should you have an accident."