Helmet Safety Tips
A helmet should be worn every time you ride a bike. Each year, more than 100 children die from bicycle-related injuries, and more than a quarter million are treated in emergency rooms. Of these, nearly half have traumatic brain injuries. Properly fitted bike helmets could reduce the risk of bike-related brain injuries by 88 percent; however, only one out of five cyclists ages 5 to 14 usually wears a helmet. It is estimated that seven out of eight bicycle related fatalities among children could have been prevented with a bicycle helmet.
Safe Kids Worldwide at www.safekids.org
Consider the following guidelines for purchasing and correctly wearing a helmet:
- The helmet should fit comfortably and not be able to move when you jerk your head from side to side.
- A helmet should be labeled to indicate that it is certified by a reputable standards and testing organization — ANSI, Snell or ASTM
- International. Let kids pick out their own certified helmets. If they think a helmet looks cool, they'll be more likely to wear it when you're not around. "Aero" helmets aren't noticeably faster, and the tail may knock the helmet aside.
- Dark helmets are harder for motorists to see.
- The helmet should sit parallel to the ground, not tilted back, with about an inch (two fingers) between your eyebrows and the lower edge of the helmet. Make sure the helmet straps are always buckled. The straps should fit snugly, but not too tightly. The sliding clasp on each side of the head should be situated just below the ears. You should be able to put a finger under the closed strap against your neck. Skinny straps are less comfortable.
- Getting the fit "just right" is a matter of trial and error, using the pads provided by the manufacturer and the strap adjustments. Try several helmets in the store; not all helmet styles will fit all heads equally well.
www.hemets.org
