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13 February 2014 09:08
More skiers are wearing helmets, a poll has revealed
As many as 71% of Telegraph Travel readers who ski now wear a helmet on the slopes following Michael Schumacher's accident.
This is according to a poll undertaken in the wake of the retired German Formula One driver's off piste accident in Méribel on December 29, from which he is still in a coma.
British retailers have also reported a huge hike in ski helmet sales.
Adventurous holidaymakers who love the challenge of the slopes can find appropriate sports travel insurance to indulge in their hobby rest assured.
Telegraph Travel polled more than 1,000 skiers and snowboarders.
Its findings suggest a massive switch in the attitudes of British winter sports enthusiasts.
The 71% contrasts with the 39% found to wear a helmet in a comparable survey undertaken by the same publication five years earlier following the death of Natasha Richardson.
The 45-year-old actress suffered a head injury at Canada's Mont Tremblant resort.
The latest questionnaire supports ones conducted by America's National Ski Areas Association and in Switzerland into the safety habits of skiers and boarders in 2013.
These showed that 70% and 76% respectively wore protective headgear. The new survey comes with the approach of February half-term, a favourite week in the family skiing calendar.
ABTA, an association of tour operators and travel agents, said that British skiers are more likely than ever to don helmets.
A debate on whether protective headgear should be mandatory has continued for years.
Some helmet opponents claim they encourage wearers to take extra risks, while others say it should be left up to the individual.
Victoria Bacon, head of communications for ABTA, said the association encourages every skier and boarder to don a helmet.
Ms Bacon said: "We want people to be able to make the most of their time on the slopes and knowing you have the right kind of equipment is one less thing to worry about."
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