Health Fact Sheets
Helmet use in recreational activities, 2017

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In 2017, the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) asked Canadians aged 12 and older about their use of helmets while participating in various physical activities. Over this time period, Canadians were more likely to always wear a helmet while downhill skiing (78.6%), snowboarding (76.3%) or bicycling (45.5%) than when skateboarding (18.7%) or in-line skating (34.2%). Females were more likely than males to report always wearing a helmet for skateboarding, biking, snowboarding, and skiing (Chart 1).^{Note 1 Note 2 Note 3}

Bicycle helmet use

In 2017, more than 11.3 million Canadians aged 12 and older reported riding a bicycle in the past 12 months. Of these, 45.5% always wore a helmet.

The percentage of Canadians that reported always wearing a bicycle helmet decreased after age 17, increasing again for Canadians aged 35 to 49. For those aged 12 to 17, 39.8% of males and 45.0% of females always wore a helmet. For both males and females, those aged 18-34 were less likely to report that they always wore a helmet. Regular helmet use^{Note 4} then increased with age for females between the ages of 18 to 34 and 35 to 49 and for males from age 18 to 34 to 50 to 64 (Chart 2).

Helmet use while biking can save lives and reduce the risk of injury.^{Note 5} While 45.5% of Canadians reported that they always wore a helmet when bicycling in the past 12 months, 30.9% (roughly 3.5 million people) reported that they never wore one.

Education, income and bicycle helmet use

Canadians aged 25 or older with secondary school graduation or less^{Note 6} were less likely to report that they always wore a bicycle helmet (35.8%), compared to those with a post-secondary graduation (53.0%). Helmet use also varied by income, as Canadians living in a household in the lowest income quintile^{Note 7} were less likely to report always wearing a bicycle helmet (31.6%) compared to Canadians living in a household in the highest income quintile (54.7%; Chart 3).

Bicycle helmet use by province

Several provinces mandate the use of bicycle helmets, but with differing age restrictions.^{Note 8} The percentage of Canadians who reported never wearing a bicycle helmet varied depending on the province of residence (Chart 4).

The proportion of residents who reported they never wore a bicycle helmet was lower than the national average (30.9%) in the following provinces where bicycle helmet use is mandatory:  

• Newfoundland and Labrador (21.8%)
• Prince Edward Island (12.3%)^{Note 9}
• Nova Scotia (10.5%)^{Note 9}
• New Brunswick (23.6%)
• Alberta (24.7%)^{Note 10}
• British Columbia (14.6%)

The proportion of residents who reported they never wore a bicycle helmet was higher than the national average in the following provinces where bicycle helmet use is mandatory:

• Quebec (35.9%)
• Ontario (33.5%)^{Note 10}
• Manitoba (45.8%)^{Note 10}
• Saskatchewan (51.1%)