As snow finally falls on Swiss slopes, the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention has revealed that 81 per cent of skiers and snowboarders wore a helmet in the 2010/11 season.
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Helmet wearing – considered an oddity a decade ago – has rapidly become the norm, jumping from a rate of just 16 per cent in 2002/3.
The Council, which has campaigned hard for winter sport safety, said it was very pleasing that helmet wearing had become so commonplace.
Of the two million Swiss residents who practise snow sports, around 67,000 hurt themselves annually on the slopes and require medical treatment. A further 30,000 foreign visitors also end their holiday with an injury.
Some 15 per cent of cases involve head injuries. However, around half of injuries are to the leg, foot and knee, a risk which can be greatly reduced through proper annual checks of ski bindings, the Council said.
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