There’s no doubt that wearing a helmet when riding a bike or buckling up when riding in the back seat of the car are safer options than going without that extra safety measure. So how come so many kids decide to take unnecessary risks? And how can parents get them to cooperate?

Researchers at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, think they may have the answer. Their study, available in the July issue of The Journal of Trauma Injury, Infection, and Critical Care, shows that screenings and brief interventions in pediatric trauma centers for at risk kids has been proven to help curb risky behaviors.

In fact, buckling up and wearing a helmet could cut down on the more than 30 million injury-related emergency room visits that occur in the U.S.

“We know that children who are admitted to a trauma center for treatment of an injury tend to be more likely to engage in high-risk behavior,” lead author Peter F. Ehrlich, M.D., M.H.S., director of the Pediatric Trauma Center at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, said in a press release.

“So when we have them in our care, it provides us with an opportunity, or a ‘teachable moment,’ to provide an intervention to counter risky behavior that could result in injury.”

Researchers screened study participants according to the Centers for disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for bicycle and car safety to study the effectiveness of screening and intervention methods. Interventions were led by a trained specialist, and occurred after medical attention was received, and included separate conversations with the patient and guardian about safety practices, consequences associated with risky behavior, and recommendations to improve car and safety regulations.

After three months, families were contacted for follow-up. The results were pretty revealing:

• 79 percent of the families reported finding the information helpful

• 53 percent reported learning something from the intervention

• 75 percent reported that the trauma center or emergency department was an appropriate place to learn about car and bike safety

• 24 percent of the children studied reported changes in their behavior, such as using a bike helmet if they had previously not used one, which researchers say is a positive step.

According to Ehrlich, every 10 percent increase in helmet use could lead to an approximate 9 to 11 percent reduction on head, facial, and scalp injuries.

Interestingly enough, while the parents reported prior knowledge about seat belts and bike helmets, 100 percent of the families stated they had not received previous education regarding the importance of having a child 12 and under in the back seat of a car.

Based on the study results, researchers may look to implement a preclinical trial to determine if such screening and intervention programs should be implemented in pediatric trauma centers and emergency departments. Further study, they say, is justified.