London, UK – Research by British travel insurance specialist, EssentialTravel.co.uk has revealed that almost 40 percent of its ski and snowboard customers will not be wearing a helmet this season, even though 75 percent of them admit to suffering an accident on the slopes in the past that was serious enough to require medical assistance.nIn response to the customer poll, the insurance provider has teamed up with mountain sports retailer, Ellis Brigham and brain injury charity Headway to launch a ski safety campaign to encourage skiers and snowboarders to wear a helmet this season. As part of the “Use Your Head” campaign, which launches on Dec. 1, EssentialTravel.co.uk is offering a 10 percent discount on helmets in store at Ellis Brigham to every customer who buys winter sports cover this season. In addition, they’ll donate £1 to Headway for every winter sports policy sold.
“On first glimpsing the poll results, we were relieved to see that the majority (62 percent) of skiers and snowboarders do plan to wear a helmet this season but an alarmingly high percentage of people are still intent on not wearing one,” says Stuart Bensusan of EssentialTravel.co.uk. “What’s more, when we probed our customers further we found that only 25 percent of the customers who had sustained serious injuries whilst skiing or snowboarding in the past, were wearing helmets at the time. Of those who were wearing a helmet when they had their accident, 67 percent felt that it saved them from a more serious injury.”
“Encouraging skiers and boarders to wear helmets is hugely important to us,” adds Peter McCabe, Chief Executive of Headway. “There is a general misconception that only a major impact will lead to death or disability from a head injury. However, the truth of the matter is that even minor bangs to the head can have serious consequences. With this in mind, we urge all skiers and snowboarders to use their heads this season and wear helmets – they might just save your life.”
Steve Wells, equipment buyer at Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports, says that campaigns like these, coupled with several high profile accidents on the slopes in recent years, have helped to drive the 10 percent increase in helmet sales that their stores have seen so far this year.
“Helmets are no longer big, heavy uncomfortable lumps, squeezing your head and restricting your movement. They’re now light weight, well fitted and well sized. Helmets aren’t just for athletes, experts and professional skiers any more,” Wells said in response to a common justification to not wearing a helmet. “They are a normal item to use, accepted by all sections of the skiing and snowboarding community and viewed as an essential piece of kit.”