Bike Helmets: Safety Accessories for Cycling

Helmets are important safety accessories for cyclists. Whether you are an avid BMX rider or an occasional street cycling hobbyist, wearing a bike helmet when you ride can protect you and maybe even save your life should you get into a serious cycling accident.
 
When it comes to buying the right helmet, you may feel overwhelmed with choices. While getting a helmet that is the right fit is important, it is also crucial that you choose one that doesn't block your peripheral vision.
 

The Facts of Bike Helmets

On average, a cyclist experiences an accident about every 4,500 miles he rides. Of these crashes, about 11 percent (500) end in fatality. Head injuries cause 75 percent of these deaths. While bike helmets can't prevent all of these deaths, research shows that wearing helmets can save 85 percent of cyclists involved in serious crashes.
 
Although bike helmets can't save you from every possible accident, they can reduce your degree of injury. In fact, because research has so clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of wearing cycling helmets, nearly half of the states in the United States have laws that require cyclists to wear helmets.

How Cycling Helmets Work

A helmet reduces an impact with a layer of stiff foam that cushions the blow, much like shock absorbers on cars. Many cycling helmets use expanded polystyrene (EPS), an insulating, light-weight material. Another widely used material is expanded polypropylene (EPP). Unlike EPS, EPP recovers to its former shape after being crushed. Another widely used material is GECET, a stronger version of EPS.
 
You can choose between two types of helmets:
  • Hard-shellhelmets have a hard outer shell of plastic or fiberglass. These helmets are very sturdy yet tend to be heavier and warmer than soft-shell models.
  • Soft-shellhelmets have an extra-thick layer of polystyrene that is covered with a cloth cover or thin surface coating rather than a hard outer shell.
Within these two basic types, bike helmets get even more varied and refined to accommodate different types of cycling. For example, mountain bike helmets are shaped differently than BMX or racing helmets.

Finding the Right Cycling Helmet

As you are choosing between different types of helmets, make sure you get one that:
  • covers as much of your head as possible
  • fits you well (Good fitting helmets should touch your head all around and feel snug but not too tight.)
  • has a Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) sticker (All helmets made or imported after 1999 must comply with a mandatory safety standard issue by the CPSC.)
  • has a strong strap and fastener
  • is a bright color to make you as visible as possible
  • sits level on your head.
Sporting goods stores as well as discount retailers (such as Wal-Mart or Target) carry helmets for various types of cycling. As you are browsing through the helmet section, feel free to take the helmet out of the box and try it on. While you may be embarrassed to do this, stores generally don't frown upon this behavior, as it is the best way to find the right fit.

Cost of Bicycling Helmets

While basic cycling helmets cost about $20, mountain bike helmets tend to cost approximately $75. The main difference between basic helmets and mountain bike helmets is that the latter are generally more aerodynamic, have more ventilation (i.e., more holes in them) and are made of materials that are more technologically advanced (and, therefore, more expensive).
 
Resources
 
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute (n.d.). A Consumer's Guide to Bicycle Helmets. Retrieved December 3, 2006, from the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute Web site.
 
National Conference of State Legislatures (n.d.). Bicycle Helmets. Retrieved December 3, 2006, from the National Conference of State Legislatures Web site.