A cost-benefit analysis of legislation for bicycle safety helmets in Israel.
Legislation requiring bicyclists to wear helmets in Israel will, over a helmet's 5-year duration (assuming 85% compliancy, 83.2% helmet efficiency for morbidity, and 70% helmet efficiency for mortality), save approximately 57 lives and result in approximately 2544 fewer hospitalizations; 13,355 and 26,634 fewer emergency room and ambulatory visits, respectively; and 832 and 115 fewer short-term and long-term rehabilitation cases, respectively. Total benefits ($60.7 million) from reductions in health service use ($44.2 million), work absences ($7.5 million), and mortality ($8.9 million) would exceed program costs ($20.1 million), resulting in a benefit-cost ratio of 3.01:1.
Ginsberg
G M
GM
Department of Data Analysis, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel.
Silverberg
D S
DS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001642:Bicycling / Q000293:injuries*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000191:economics / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006260:Head Protective Devices / Q000191:economics*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007557:Israel; D008875:Middle Aged