The fiery debate in Austin over bicycle helmets and whether or not adults should be required by law to wear them was the impetus behind a year long study which KVUE News has learned was just completed.

From December 1, 2006 to December 2007, doctors at Brackenridge Hospital interviewed 216 cyclists who came through the emergency room after they were injured on their bicycles.

In a first of its kind study in Austin, injured cyclists were asked specific questions about where they were riding, how fast they were going, what the traffic flow around them was like, if they were wearing helmets and if they were under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

"According to the data so far  you're about 65 to 88-percent less likely to get a head injury if you're wearing a helmet while you're riding a bicycle" said Dr. P.J. Milling, one of the doctors at Brackenridge Hospital who took part in the year long helmet study.

Dr. Milling goes on to say that helmets are less likely to save the lives of cyclists who ride next to busy highways like 360 and 620.

"If you get hit by a car going 70-miles an hour a helmet is not going to make a huge difference it might, I think it makes a bigger difference on surface streets where it's protecting the head from hitting a pole or hitting the street when you're going a little slower but I don't want people to take from that they shouldn't wear helmets on 360 and 620 because the cars aren't the only issue because they could hit a rock and fall off of their bike and hit a tree or something :32 so in that case I think the helmet would provide a lot of protection for them" said Dr. Milling.

The final statistics from the report will be released for publication in the next two weeks.