Wearing a helmet while riding a bike doesn’t eliminate the possibility of head injury in an accident, but it helps. According to this study, helmets provide a 63 to 88% reduction in the risk of head and brain injuries across all age groups. Conclusion: You’d be foolish to bike without one.
That said, not all helmets are not the same. Materials, manufacture, fit, and age can all play into how effective a helmet would be in an accident, so if you’re going to wear a helmet (and you really should) make sure it’s as safe as possible.
Check for the CPSC seal
When choosing a bicycle helmet, the first thing to check for is the Consumer Products Safety Commission label. Since 1999, all bike helmets manufactured or imported for sale in the United States have been required to adhere to the CPSC guidelines to make sure they’re safe and effective. But that doesn’t mean every helmet you can buy actually does.
According to recent reseach from Consumer Reports, uncertified helmets of all kinds are available for sale through Amazon, Aliexpress.com, and other online retailers. Some helmets say they’re CPSC certified, but don’t include the information that the CPSC requires. When choosing a helmet, make sure the following information is on the label:
A statement saying: “Complies with U.S. CPSC Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets for Persons Age 5 and Older” or “Complies with U.S. CPSC Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets for Persons Age 1 and Older (Extended Head Coverage).”The name, address and telephone number of the manufacturer or importer.Information, such as the serial number, that identifies the month and year the helmet was made and the production lot.Making sure your helmet is government-approved is only the first step toward making sure it’s as safe as possible. CPSC labeling is mandatory, but there’s no governmental agency that inspects helmets—it’s an honor system. So look for indication that the helmet is ASTM2, Snell3, or ANSI4 certified too. These are independent testing companies that verify helmet safety, with stricter standards than the government requires.
Why you shouldn’t buy your bike helmet online
Purchasing helmets online might get you a lower price than buying at a brick and mortar store—but if you don’t know exactly what you’re buying, it’s better to go to your local bike shop. There is no substitute for trying on a variety of helmets for fit and comfort and discussing your needs with a bike shop expert. So unless you already know the model of bike helmet that’s right for you because you’re replacing a helmet you’ve already used, visit the bike store in person.
Don’t buy a used bike helmet
Buying someone else’s helmet is kind of gross—people sweat in those things a lot—but it’s also potentially unsafe. You’d have no way of knowing if a previous accident has lessened the structural integrity of a used helmet.
How to tell if your bike helmet fits correctly
If you wear a bike helmet that doesn’t fit your head properly, it might not help you in the event of a crash. Lifehacker’s guide for bike helmet fitting offers solid guidelines for fitting your helmet correctly, but don’t let it take the place of visiting a bike shop and making sure your fit is correct and comfortable.
What is a “MIPS helmet” and is it safer than a regular helmet?
MIPS stands for Multi-directional Impact Protection System. Found in many kinds of helmets, MIPS is a brand of technology included in many helmets that is designed to allow the helmet to move independently of your head, diffusing angular force as well as direct force.
How effective MIPS helmets are at preventing brain injuries is a complicated question. Testing conducted by the Snell Foundation showed no performance advantage with helmets equipped with MIPS tech. On the other hand, the company behind the helmet tech says it has conducted 17,000 tests that prove “all helmets with MIPS are significantly better than helmets without MIPS.” For what it’s worth, MIPS-equipped helmets dominate “best of” lists for helmet safety.
When should you replace your bike helmet?
You should get a new helmet if there’s been any impact to it. Even if there are no visible cracks, and the helmet worked perfectly when you had a little crash, once there’s an impact to your helmet, replace it. Even if all you did was drop your helmet hard enough to put a little crack in it, it should be replaced.
Bike helmets are basically one-time-use items. They’re meant to diffuse force through shattering or crushing, so if the inner foam layer is damaged at all or the plastic is cracked, it’s less effective than it was, even if it looks fine.
Some say that bike helmets should be replaced periodically even if there is no damage to them. Different helmet manufacturers have different recommendations for when to replace a helmet. The Snell Foundation recommends replacement every five years or so, depending on how often you use your bike and how well you care for your helmet. On the other hand, this research tested 63 helmets of different ages and found the age of a helmet had no impact on how well it worked.
Can you wear a skateboard helmet for cycling?
The first rule of thumb for head protection is that any helmet is likely to be better than no helmet in an accident. That said, you should wear the proper headgear for the sport you’re engaging in. Cycle helmets are designed for different kinds of impacts than skateboard helmets. Equestrian helmets are designed for different impacts than football helmets. And so forth.
Is one style of bike helmet better than another?
In a broad sense, there are three main varieties of bike helmets: road bike helmets, mountain bike helmets, and commuter bike helmets. Road helmets are made to be light and aerodynamic. Mountain bike helmets tend to have visors, greater protection for the back of the head, or even a full face mask. Commuter helmets tend to be more rounded and designed for versatility and ventilation.
Which is “better” depends on the kind of cycling you’re doing. Some research suggests road cycling helmets are more effective at preventing concussions than mountain bike helmets, but the difference isn’t huge, and mountain bike helmets are designed for the multiple, smaller impacts you might get from falling down a mountain, as opposed to single, huge impacts your might get from being hit by a car.
But each accident is unique, so there’s really no way of knowing the perfect helmet for how you ride. In a perfect world, you would wear the helmet designed for the kind of cycling you’re doing, but if you feel like a goof in an aerodynamic helmet and want to wear a commuter helmet, that’s probably fine. There’s something to be said for wearing the kind of bike helmet you feel most comfortable in, especially if it means you’ll be more likely to strap it on before you start pedaling.
