Riding a motorcycle is one of my great pleasures when I am away from work. On a sunny warm day, on a cool and grey day, and even occasionally on a mildly rainy day, I love the feeling of being out on the road, feeling the wind blow, smelling nature and looking at the beauty that is around me.

However, when I am at work as an emergency physician in a Level 1 trauma centre in Boston, I am too frequently reminded that there can be tremendous danger in this activity that I love. Riders are brought into my hospital by ambulances after they are struck by inattentive drivers, fail to negotiate curves, or are surprised by a bit of sand or oil on the road.

Since our hospital has close ties to Bermuda, I unfortunately have seen a significant number of patients from Bermuda who have severe, potentially life-threatening injuries from motorcycles, scooters and mopeds that have crashed, or have been crashed into.

I choose to keep riding not just because I enjoy it so much, but also because I take all the steps I can to stay safe. I wear the right shoes/boots, abrasion-resistant pants, jackets and gloves. Most importantly, I wear a full-face helmet.

Helmets overall reduce the risk of brain injury by more than two thirds and reduce risks of death from motorcycle injuries by more than a third. Full-face helmets, in particular, not only reduce the chance of severe injuries to the jaw, cheek and chin, but also are more effective than open-faced helmets in reducing head injuries overall.

In the riding community, there is an acronym that is sometimes used: ATGATT (all the gear, all the time). I follow it without exception when I ride. I also try always to be vigilant about the traffic and environment around me, I ride conservatively, I never ride impaired, and I keep my bike well-maintained. But the reality is that there are people and circumstances around me that I cannot control, and I do not want a moment of ill-fortune to take my life or my ability to enjoy it away from me.

The Ministry of Health has noted that Bermuda’s open-road mortality rate is nearly three times the rate of other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries and requiring riders to wear the appropriate gear for motorised riding, most especially full-face helmets, could help to lower that number. Other important actions, such as rider safety training and special support for tourist riders, of course, could also make an important difference.

I care very much about my personal safety, but I also care deeply about the safety of everyone else who rides, whether they ride for years or just briefly on holiday. With the support of other riders in Bermuda, and healthcare and national leaders, I sincerely hope that we can change the risks and that I never need to care for another injured rider from Bermuda whose injury could have been prevented by use of a helmet and other protective gear.

• Paul Biddinger MD FACEP is the Chief Preparedness and Continuity Officer at Mass General Brigham

References:

Helmet use and motorcycle injury: a prospective study of 1,004 injured riders M. E. Peek-Asa et al., JAMA, 2004, 291(5): 573-579.

The effect of motorcycle helmet use on injury severity and mortality. D.L. Ouellet et al., Journal of Trauma, 2001, 50(5): 887-893.

Motorcycle helmet performance in crashes: a review of the scientific evidence S.E. Lawrence et al., Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2010, 42(1): 1-13.

Cost-benefit analysis of helmet use: Evidence from 24 states B.D.T. Farmer et al., Health Affairs, 2007, 26(4): 1001-1008.

Effectiveness of full-face helmets in preventing head injury G.A. Williams et al., Accident Analysis & Prevention, 2012, 49: 20-25.

Comparative analysis of facial injury patterns in motorcycle crashes: The role of helmet type L.L. Dunn et al., Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, 2005, 59(1): 81-87.

Impact of helmet design on injury severity in motorcycle crashes M.K. Thomas et al., Traffic Injury Prevention, 2008, 9(2): 140-146.

The effectiveness of full-face helmets in reducing traumatic brain injuries in motorcycle crashes R.D. Blackwell et al., Journal of Neurosurgery, 2009, 110(2): 295-302.