Experienced Colorado Bicycle Accident Lawyers
As public knowledge of the hazards of head injuries grows, an increasing number of parents recognize how compulsory helmets are in protecting their children’s developing brains. This is why our bicycle accident lawyers in Colorado Springs have written this article.
Perhaps no leisure activity necessitates using a helmet more than biking (or riding anything with wheels, for that matter). In Colorado, all children under the age of 16 who ride a bicycle must wear a helmet. However, helmets are not exclusively for children.
Cyclists move quicker on a bike than the majority of humans can sprint. Nobody would ever consider rushing into a wall headfirst. Similarly, you should never risk colliding with the pavement at such speed if you fall off a bicycle.
We review the cycling helmet landscape as of mid-2019 and provide our recommendations for the best and worst bicycle helmets for you and your family in this blog article. Much of our expertise and citations in this blog article originate from The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute’s (BHSI) excellent, instructive collection of helmet safety material. The BHSI is a non-profit organization that has pushed for bike helmet safety since 1989.
Why Bike Helmets Are Critical
As previously said, you would never run head-on into a brick wall. Without a helmet, riding a bike poses a comparable risk of harm.
Naturally, no one desires to be involved in a bicycle accident. Therefore, let’s examine why helmets are critical for you and your family, even if you believe the chance of falling off your bike is small.
According to BHSI data, cycling is the most common sport/recreational activity that results in emergency department visits for head injuries in the United States. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, cycling caused twice as many brain injuries in 2009 as the next most prevalent activity or recreation-related cause of head injury: football.
According to many statistics, almost 90% of persons killed in bike accidents each year were not wearing helmets.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, wearing a helmet reduces your chance of death in a bicycle collision by half.
Each year, more than half of all bikers treated in emergency departments in the United States are
youngsters between the ages of 4 and 15.
A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Surgery indicated that wearing a helmet dramatically reduced the risk of mortality, traumatic brain damage, and facial fractures in bicycle accidents.
The simple line is that wearing a helmet decreases the likelihood that you or a loved one may die or suffer a catastrophic injury when riding a bicycle. Additionally, as indicated before, Colorado law requires all cyclists under 16 to wear a helmet.
Helmet Fundamentals
What defines a bicycle helmet as a bicycle helmet? And what distinguishes a good bike helmet from a poor one?
First, federal rules released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC) establish the minimum requirements for what constitutes a bicycle helmet. According to the CSPC, “helmets that comply with a certain standard will have a distinctive label or marking indicating conformity with that standard (which is often located on the liner inside the helmet, on the outer surface, or affixed to the chin strap).”
When purchasing a helmet, always check for this logo. Do not judge a helmet only based on its appearance. If it lacks a logo or label indicating that it complies with federal bicycle helmet rules, it is not a bike helmet, strictly speaking.
That is what distinguishes a bicycle helmet from other types of helmets. What distinguishes one bike helmet from another? That’s a difficult topic to answer since part of what distinguishes one bike helmet from another is determined by its design, materials, and manufacturing quality. In contrast, others are determined by the individual wearing it. Consider each of these things in turn.
There Are Differences in Helmet Quality, but They Are Not Always Easy to Identify
Federal rules establish minimum quality criteria for bicycle helmets. Numerous helmet manufacturers will attempt, quite rationally, to surpass those basic standards. And many, perhaps, do so by incorporating novel materials, design modifications, and features that assure the optimal fit for each rider (more on this below).
And, at the very least, BHSI believes that how much money you spend does not always indicate how well a helmet protects your head. Here is a primer from BHSI on the manufacturing and testing of helmets, along with an insightful explanation of why there is no ideal quality helmet.
Fit Is the Most Important Factor in Quality
The CSPC underlines that “[t]he protection provided by an acceptable helmet is contingent upon getting a suitable fit and wearing it properly.” In other words, fit is critical. Indeed, beyond verifying that the helmet meets minimal safety criteria, the fit is the most critical factor to consider when purchasing a helmet—more essential than price, manufacturer, and (obviously) how cool you look.
How to Properly Fit a Helmet
The BHSI recommends fitting a bicycle helmet as follows: The helmet should be comfortable all around, level, and stable enough to withstand even strong shocks or heavy knocks and remain in place. It should be worn low on the head to enhance side coverage and maintained level on the head with the strap pleasantly tight.
That’s all there is to it: tight, level, and stable. The website above delves more into these points, but that is the gist. Nothing more is required, yet nothing less will suffice.
How to Choose an Appropriately Fitting Helmet
Visit a bike store and try on a variety of helmets! Each skull is unique in terms of form and size. Certain manufacturers design helmets that are more suitable to certain head shapes than to others. What works for your spouse or kid may not work for you. That is not only acceptable but expected unless all of your family members have an extraordinarily similar head shape.
How NOT to Choose a Motorcycle Helmet
Although the advice above seems straightforward, it is not always easy to follow since we live in a consumer-driven society that prizes variety and alternatives. After informing you on the straightforward rules to follow when picking a bike helmet for yourself or a family member, it’s time to highlight all the ways you should avoid selecting a helmet. Here we go:
Do not purchase a helmet just based on its “cool” appearance, and do not opt-out of the best- fitting helmet solely based on its “dorky” appearance. These are not factors that matter much if you find up in an ambulance with a head injury, the “dorky” helmet might have averted. (Plus, we all look stupid in bike helmets—it’s a fact of life).
Do not rely on the advice of another rider for a helmet that fits properly. The only fit that matters is the one on your head.
Do not purchase a helmet just for its “anti-concussion” qualities. Helmets protect the wearer’s head against severe head trauma. There is much uncertainty regarding their ability to completely prevent concussions.
You just cannot trust that the helmet has not been involved in an accident. (And helmets that have absorbed an impact are become ineffective and must be replaced.) • Avoid purchasing a secondhand bicycle helmet.
Do not choose a helmet only based on pricing. A more costly helmet is not always the best choice.
On the other hand, it is not worthwhile to purchase a less-well-fitting helmet to save a few bucks.
In other words (and yes, we are aware that we are repeating ourselves): get the most recent, regulation-compliant helmet that fits you best.
Yes, Helmet Ratings Exist
Readers may be expecting to discover some genuine, unbiased recommendations for certain bicycle helmets on this page. Additionally, they may discover that based on the recommendations above, we cannot endorse a particular brand or style of the helmet over another. Helmets are considered to be personal possessions. As long as you get it brand new, it follows all applicable safety standards, and it fits you properly, it’s probably worth it.
Even so, if you’re looking for the most up-to-date information about the cycling helmet business, several ratings profess to rate helmets. BHSI connects to Consumer Reports and Virginia Tech ratings from previous years and analyses their findings to identify helmets for which the two sets of ratings agree.
However, as you will see, there is little overlap due to the rather narrow testing area. For 2019, BHSI recommends Bontrager/Trek helmets equipped with WaveCel technology. However, as previously said, the fit is the most critical characteristic.
Considerations for Children’s Helmets
When purchasing a helmet for a youngster, extra considerations must be made. The issue is that children need just as much (if not more) helmet protection as adults, yet it’s not always simple to convince them to wear helmets or to ensure they fit correctly. Consider the following while choosing a helmet for your child:
Conduct periodic fitting checks. If you live in a seasonal climate where children ride bikes only part of the year, check helmet fit in the spring when you pull bikes out of the garage and re-inflate tires. If your youngster rides year-round, check his or her fit about every six months. If the helmet is not fit, level, and stable on your child’s head, replace it.
Take note of the chin strap’s simplicity of usage. A bicycle helmet that is not attached to a chin strap will not perform its function. A difficult-to-buckle and unbuckle chin strap may dissuade a youngster from wearing the helmet at all or may induce the child to wear the helmet unbuckled,
rendering it completely worthless. If two equally well-fitting helmets are available, choose the one with the chin strap that your kid feels most comfortable fastening and unsecured.
Make a bow to “cool” (but only a little). Children, particularly adolescents, may object to wearing helmets due to the “dorky” aspect. If the appearance of your child’s helmet motivates him or her to wear it more often, the few additional bucks for the “cool” design are well worth it (provided, again, that the helmet meets the minimum safety and fit requirements discussed above).
Forego the spikes. Nowadays, little children often wear bike helmets with spikes, horns, and other protruding ornaments. BHSI recommends against these embellishments since they may hinder the helmet from sliding over the ground in the case of a fall, potentially resulting in head and neck injuries.
Finally, the laws for purchasing bicycle helmets for children are identical to those for adults. However, if you must spend more money or compromise on the color or appearance to guarantee your child wears it, our recommendation is to do so. The worst-case scenario would be for your youngster not to wear a helmet at all.
For You and Your Family, the WORST Bicycle Helmets
We promised in the headline that we would discuss the greatest and worst bike helmets. We’ve discussed what factors contribute to a helmet being the greatest choice for you and your family. What would make a helmet the very worst:
A helmet that does not fit properly or just fits “just right.” It makes no difference how much money you spent on it or who else in your family it served; it is useless if it does not fit you snugly, levelly, and securely.
A helmet that does not comply with applicable safety regulations. If no label or marking indicates
that the item conforms with rules, it should not be worn on your head.
A helmet that has been involved in an accident. Helmets are a one-time-use item. Once a helmet has protected your head from an accident, it’s time to discard it and replace it.
If it is ancient. Your grandfather’s helmet is in poor condition.
A helmet obtained from an untrustworthy source. A flood of low-cost “name brand” helmets has flooded the market. Regrettably, these are forgeries that do not give appropriate protection. If you’re purchasing online and the offer seems to be too good to be true, consider passing and purchasing from a reputable local bike store, where you’ll get the protection you paid for.
Helmets Are Critical
Keep yourself and your family safe this year while you ride your bicycles. Purchase new, compliant, and well-fitting helmets.
Contact an expert attorney if you’ve been involved in a bicycle accident and have concerns regarding your legal rights.
