How to find the best bike helmet
6th July 2006
Cycling is one of the most popular summer activities - 57 million Americans ride bikes, in fact. When I go for a ride, I’m usually packing on my toddler on the back in a seat and often have another son or two in tow. Besides being popular, it’s also one of the most dangerous activities so I worry about our safety on the trails and roads. Particularly, how should we properly protect our heads?
I journeyed to my local bike shop, tugging my children behind me, to find out exactly what I need to look for in a helmet. Not all helmets are created equal, I found. Joe, my bike expert, pointed out that a good helmet should:
· Be approved by the Snell Foundation*, ASTM* or CSPC* and have a sticker or imprint claiming so.
· Fit snugly. If it shakes or can be moved from side to side, it’s too large.
· Be comfortable. If it feels like it’s squeezing my head, it’s too small.
· Have a chin strap and buckle. The Y of the strap should lie just under my earlobe and the strap should be adjustable. The strap should be snug enough to pull down on the helmet when I open my mouth.
· Allow me to barely see the front rim when I look up.
· Have a hard plastic shell on the outside.
· Contain a foam shock absorbent liner on the inside at least ½ inch thick.
· Be stylish, so I’ll wear it.
· Not be made prior to 1975, that was before current standards applied.
“Alright, Joe, is there anything else I should know about brain buckets?”
Braids and beads in my hair are a bad idea.
So are baseball caps with steel rivets on the top.
Wear my helmet always, even short rides.
All kids should wear helmets, even my tag-along tot.
And if I get in a crash with my helmet, I need to replace it.
The kids and I picked up some new helmets and had a few great lessons on bike maintenance. On the way out of the bike shop, I saw a poster proclaiming “75 % of fatalities related to cycling could be avoided if all kids wore helmets.” Another statistic I found claims that over 600,000 people are treated annually for bicycling injuries.
What a wonderful afternoon spent with Joe at the bike shop. I feel much more carefree about going for a ride with the kids later, knowing that our heads will be safe.
Written by Mary Smith
*The Snell Foundation, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission (CSPC) are responsible for testing and certifying product safety, including bike helmets.