​Top Reasons to Wear a Helmet When Riding Your Bicycle

Top Reasons to Wear a Helmet When Riding Your Bicycle

If you are a cyclist you should wear a helmet when you ride to avoid injuries, here are the top three reasons why you should start wearing a helmet:

1) Helmets can prevent potentially fatal injuries during crashes.

As mentioned above, the most obvious reason to wear a helmet is because it keeps you safer. But how?

Let’s say you are riding your bicycle when a car pulls out in front of you, causing you to crash. If you go forward off of your bicycle, chances are your head will make direct impact against the car. Without a helmet, the full weight of the impact will be taken on your head, which can cause severe, irreparable damage to your skull and brain. With a helmet, however, this impact is lessened by the layer of foam between your skull and the site of impact. Helmets can disperse the energy from the impact and make it so your brain avoids potentially fatal injury. Even if the helmet breaks, this only shows how much energy went into the helmet instead of your head upon impact.

The evidence is even more clear when looking at the statistics — Wearing a bicycle can reduce your chances of experiencing a serious injury by up to 70%. To drastically lessen your chances of a dangerous crash, helmets are a must.

2) Helmets can keep you seen and potentially help prevent crashes altogether.

The majority of regular cyclist’s ride in urban environments. Whether it is for commuting or for hobby, cycling around vehicles always adds an extra element of danger. In fact, a whopping 70% of fatal crashes occur in urban settings, meaning it is especially important to stay safe and seen when riding around cars. One of the best ways to do this and help prevent accidents altogether is by wearing a helmet.

Helmets come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most importantly, they come in a variety of colors, specifically vibrant neon shades. While it may not seem as visually appealing, neon is a great shade that sticks out against nearly every environment, helping ensure you will be noticed by drivers when on the road. Helmets can also be adorned with reflective tape to help you be seen at night, or adorned with a headlamp to help you (and other drivers) see.

3) It may be illegal in your state.

Twenty-two U.S. states currently have a law forbidding cyclists aged 18 and younger from riding without helmets. This means that children under 18 can have their parents fined if they ride outdoors without a helmet.

While laws are currently only in the works for those over 18, this law is still important to note as an adult. While deaths among bicyclists age 20 or less have declined by 88% since 1975, deaths among bicyclists 20 and older have more than tripled since this time. This is in large part due to adults assuming that their “outgrowing” of the helmet law means they are safe without one.

Unfortunately, the opposite is true. Even if the law currently apples only to children, it is always smart to play it safe and heed the recommendation as well.

If you’re not sure what helmet you should buy, consider visiting your local bicycle shop. They can help you choose the right helmet for your needs and get a size that fits perfectly.

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This article was created Personal Injury Help (www.personalinjury-law.com), an organization dedicated to providing the public with information on about personal injury and safety information. Nothing in this article should be construed as legal advice, and it is intended for informational use only. Be sure to review your local cycling ordinances to ensure you ride safe and legally!