Helmets on all
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - “Safety and respect on the slopes” is the Swiss safety campaign slogan for the 2009-2010 winter. It is especially directed at the French-speaking parts of Switzerland in the third and final year of a major campaign to reduce winter sports accidents. The Swiss Council for Accident Prevention, known by its French initials BPA, says that only 46 percent of skiers and snowboarders wear helmets in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, against 72 percent in the Swiss-German part.
BPA started counting in 2003, and at that time only 16 percent of skiers and snowboarders in Switzerland wore head protection.
Today an average of 65 percent of people wear helmets when they are on the slopes, with important regional differences.
BPA will be holding helmet test days around Switzerland to convince people of their safety advantages and comfort. In the French-speaking part of Switzerland, these will take place:
- 21 February 2010, Crans-Montana
- 7 March 2010, Leysin
- 14 March 2010, Verbier
- 21 March 2010, Les Crosets
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News story, GenevaLunch, 8 December 2009.
Filed under: Sports
Tags: accident prevention, BPA, head protection, helmets, skiers, snowboarders, Swiss Council on Accident Prevention