No Helmet? Don't Ride
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When you get on a bicycle, you need to wear a helmet. In 32 states children under 16 must wear helmets when riding a bicycle. So, buying the right helmet is critical.
To pick the right helmet, your helmet should:
• Fit properly (see below)
• Have a label indicating that it meets either the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) or the
Snell Foundation B-95 standards
• Be hard, round, and smooth on the outside
• Have good ventilation
• Be a color you like - this factor can be critical in determining whether children will wear helmets.
Your helmet fits properly when the helmet:
• Sits comfortably on top of your head with he edge of the helmet slightly above your
eyebrows
• Feels snug without adding extra padding - a quick test is to put the helmet on unbuckled and
then lean over with your head down. If the helmet falls off, it is too loose
• Straps join below your ear and the buckle is snug with your mouth open
Your helmet should be replaced if:
• The outside is just foam or cloth;
• It lacks a CPSC or Snell B-95 sticker;
• You can not adjust it to fit properly;
• You've crashed in it.
References:
http://www.bhsi.org (Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute)
http://www.bikeleague.org/educenter/factsheets (League of American Bicyclists)
