Just last weekend, my friend fell while skiing and suffered a moderate concussion. He was not wearing a helmet, like many other skiers and snowboarders on the slopes.

With Winter Carnival just one week away, students should be aware of the benefits of wearing a helmet.

In a study conducted by the Consumer Product Safety Report last year, more than 7,000 head injuries that occur on the mountain could have been prevented or reduced by wearing a helmet.

Another survey conducted in 2008 concluded that 48 percent of skiers and snowboarders wear a helmet, up from only 25 percent in 2002.

These findings show that a large  number of people are wearing helmets while on the slope, but there is still a lot of room for improvement.

If something as simple as wearing a helmet can significantly increase your chances of living through an accident, why wouldn’t you wear one?

So, as DU students travel to Winter Park for a fun-filled weekend, keep the head-injury statistics in mind.

In the words of my mother: “ski fast, have fun, wear a helmet.”