Our message is clear - wear a helmet at all times

Bill Alker, Headway

Many involve head injuries - which could have been prevented if helmets had been worn, say the campaigners.

One study of accidents in Tucson, Arizona, found that only one out of 116 cyclists arriving at hospital had a major head injury, compared to 37 out of 168 among those not wearing a helmet.

Rehabilitation

Dr Krystyna Walton, a consultant in rehabilitation medicine at Highbank, a private clinic which takes NHS patients recovering from head injury, said: "It is imperative that parents and children realise the important of wearing helmets regardless of the distance, location, or traffic conditions of their journey.

"Cycling accidents can lead to long-term brain damage, not just broken bones."

The message over cycle helmets is being reinforced during Brain Injury Awareness Week this week.

Bill Alker of the head injury charity Headway said: "The use of cycle helmets is still not common enough for children and parents. Our message is clear - wear a helmet at all times."

Roger Vincent, from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa), said that parents should set a good example for their children.

He told BBC News Online: "Every child should wear one - peer pressure often works against that."