Cycling injuries are by far the most common injury among summer sports and recreational activities. However, while the number of cycling injuries remains stable, the number of serious cycling head injuries has plunged during the last decade, suggesting the increasing use of helmets is having a real impact. That information is in new data on summer injuries released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Here are some highlights from the CIHI data:

• Every day of the summer, an average of 45 Canadians are hospitalized for an injury resulting from a wheel or water-based sport or recreational activity, including cycling, roller skating, skateboarding and scootering, swimming, diving and boating.
• Cycling injuries account for half of hospital admissions for summer sports and recreational activity. While the number of cycling injury hospitalizations stayed relatively the same between 2001-2002 and 2009-2010, the number of cycling-related head injuries fell, from 903 to 665. Of the most severe cycling injury admissions, 78% of those hospitalized with a head injury were not wearing a helmet when their injury occurred.
• Hospital admissions for cycling injuries are most common among young people under 20, with boys 10-14 years of age hospitalized most often.
• The number of serious injuries involving ATVs is growing faster than that for any other major type of wheel or water-based activity, with a 31% increase over the last decade. Those at highest risk of injury are young men.

To read the full release on summer injury, visit www.cihi.ca.