The two cross-sectional studies detailed in the previous paragraphs also identified some family and peer level correlates of helmet use. In the survey of 6th and 7th graders in Hillsborough County, Florida, siblings' use of helmets and friends' use of helmets were strongly associated with helmet use on the most recent bicycle ride (Liller, et al., 1998). Similarly, analyses of helmet use among the 4th, 7th, and 9th graders from Maryland suggest that children and adolescents are more likely to report having worn a helmet on the most recent ride if they report that their friends, siblings, or parents wear helmets when bicycling (Gielen, et al., 1994).

Cryer and colleagues (1998) also identified a cross-sectional relationship between peer and family factors and adolescent helmet use among 3,082 bicycle-riding 7th and 11th graders in England. Helmet use was much less common among the 11th graders than among the 7th graders. Overall, adolescents whose closest friend wears a helmet and those who reported that their parents encourage helmet use were more likely, when compared with their peers, to report always wearing a helmet when riding a bicycle.