Helmets: For Better Or Worse

When it comes to bicycling helmets are pretty much the standard of riding safely. All throughout school we were taught that it is of the utmost importance that we wear a helmet while riding a bicycle and eventually we were taught that we must insist that our children wear a helmet when they go out to ride their bicycles as well. We’ve been so conditioned to think that bicycle safety simply means wearing a helmet that unfortunately we’ve forgotten about all the other aspects of bicycling that can keep us safe and prevent accidents as well.

When it comes to helmets there’s no denying that wearing one can help keep you safe in the event of a crash or an accident. If you hit your head really hard it’s much better for your helmet to take the impact then your actual head - that’s pretty obvious. The problem is when people blindly assume that helmets are the end all solution to bicycle safety and so they completely disregard other important safety precautions and don’t take the time to educate themselves or their children on how to ride a bicycle in the safest manner. Its very common for parents to insist that children wear a helmet while not putting any form of lights on their bicycles or making sure that the children wear reflective clothing while riding at night. Little things like these can make a huge difference in whether or not a person stays safe.

When bicycle helmets are substituted instead of proper bicycle riding safety training it can give children the impression that they are “invincible” and lead them to believe that they can ride anywhere and do anything on their bicycle without getting hurt simply because they’re wearing their helmet. This can encourage children to ride their bicycle in ways that are much more dangerous and can often cause severe injuries. To avoid this it’s extremely important that parents sit down with their children and teach them how to ride their bicycle safely and in a way that will prevent any injuries or accidents from happening regardless of whether or not they are wearing a helmet. A helmet will do little to protect a person riding a bicycle if they get hit by a car but teaching that person how to avoid getting hit in the first place may just save their life.

It’s also important to be aware of certain problems and defects that come from wearing a helmet. Many riders struggle with being able to hear cars around them while wearing a helmet (due to the way the wind is pushed through the vents of the helmet) which can be dangerous on a busy street. Some cyclists have also struggled with adjusting their helmet while riding, have more issues when turning to look behind them, and generally struggling to see as clearly because of the build of certain helmets. While these may seem like minor considerations, when riding in busy traffic they can be a dangerous distraction.

Overall helmets can be of good use but they shouldn't be worn as the catch-all for bicycle safety and they should never be considered a substitute for proper bicycle riding