Patient Advocacy

Health and Wellness

 

 

 

Protect your noggin - Bicycle helmet safety

 

 

 

 

Riding a bike is a great way to exercise, enjoy the fresh air, and keep the environment clean. It’s a fun and healthy way to take care of errands, visit friends, or to spend your leisure time. But cycling has its risks – and preventing injury is a much better option than treating an injury.

 

Why wear a bicycle helmet?

Wearing a bicycle helmet protects your head from injury if an accident occurs. Not only can brain injuries be permanent, but recovering from a brain injury isn’t the same as recovering from a broken arm or leg.

Head injuries cause most bicycle-related deaths and long term brain damage. In a fall the forehead usually hits the ground first. Most cycling accidents occur because the bike skidded while riding over unstable ground, the wheel caught in a crack, a shoelace got stuck in the chain, or the rider lost control of the bike. Less than 20% of reported bicycle injuries involve a collision with a car.

Up to 85% of serious head injuries could be prevented by wearing a helmet.  As of 1996, it is the law in British Columbia that all cyclists – children, youth, and adults – wear a certified bicycle helmet while riding their bike.

  

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What to look for in a bicycle helmet

Because different sports can cause different types of injuries, it is important to choose a helmet specifically designed for cycling, otherwise you may not get the type of protection you need.

Make sure the helmet has a certification label from one of the following organizations: Canadian Standards Association (CSA), Snell, The American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), or The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). A certification label indicates that the helmet has been tested to withstand certain levels of impact, giving you the best protection that is available.

Avoid extremely pointed shapes, inadequate or excessive vents, dark colours, thin straps, and complicated adjustments.

To encourage their purchase, the BC government has made all safety helmets exempt from Provincial Sales Tax (PST).

       

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How to fit a helmet

Your objective: Snug, Level, Stable

You want the helmet to comfortably touch your head all the way around, be level and stable enough to resist hard blows, and stay in place. It should be as low on your head as possible to maximize side coverage, and held level on your head with the strap comfortably snug.

Heads come in many sizes and shapes, so when it comes time to shop for a helmet, be prepared to spend 20 to 30 minutes to ensure you get the proper fit.  There are two parts to fitting a helmet correctly.

1. Adjust the fit pads or ring
Use the foam fitting pads that come with many helmets to customize the shape. The helmet should sit on top of your head, not at an angle, with the front just above your eyebrows or frame of your glasses. If you walk into a wall, the helmet should hit before your nose does. Leave some gaps to improve air flow. If you have the one-size-fits-all model there will be an adjustable ring inside the helmet that fits around your head.


2. Adjust the straps
Adjust the straps to the "Eye-Ear-Mouth" test developed by the Bicycle Coalition of Maine: 
- When you look upward the front rim should be barely visible to your eye
- The Y of the side straps should meet just below your ear
- The chin strap should be snug against your chin so that when you open your mouth wide you feel the helmet pull down a little.

When you think the helmet fits snugly, shake your head around to see if it remains in place.  Put your palm under the front and back edges of the helmet and push up. If you can move the helmet more than an inch or so tighten the straps in front of and behind your ears. Move the helmet side to side and front to back, watching the skin around your eyebrows. It should move slightly with the helmet. If it does not, the fit pads are probably too thin in front or back and will need re-adjusting.

Don’t have anything between your head and the helmet, such as a hat or a ponytail.

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Caring for your helmet

Keep your helmet away from heat. Even stored in a car trunk, parts of the helmet can become unglued and may not provide effective protection against injury.

Don’t decorate the helmet with paint or stickers

Check the screws and straps to make sure that they are tight and work properly.

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Replacing your helmet

Always replace your helmet after a crash. Damage may not be obvious by looking at the helmet, but the inner supports may have been destroyed.

Cracks or dents mean that you need a new helmet.

Most manufacturers recommend replacement after 5 years. Given reasonable care, however, most helmets can last longer.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tips on getting your kids to wear bike helmets


1. Establish the helmet habit early.  Children should get their first helmet when they get their first bike.
2. Wear one yourself.  Be a role model for your kids - they learn best by observing you. When riding as a family, everyone should be wearing a helmet.
3. Let them pick out their own helmet. If they have input into the decision they are more likely to buy into the idea.
4. Talk to them about why it’s important that their heads be protected.
5. Point out when watching sporting events how many professional athletes use helmets. Football, hockey, and baseball players; race car drivers, and professional cyclists all wear them.
6. Don't let your children ride their bikes unless they wear their helmets.

 Remember: It is important to wear a helmet whenever cycling even if it's just down the street or on a bike trail.  An accident can take only seconds, no matter your destination.

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Important information

Helmets are not the final word in bike safety. Do not allow wearing a helmet to give you a false sense of security. Learn how to ride safely.

For more information visit:

Canada Safety Council (hyperlink the title)www.safety-council.org/info/child/bicycle.htm.
Bike Sense Manual www.bikesense.bc.ca/manual.htm
RideSafe Tips document www.injuryresearch.bc.ca/admin/DocUpload/3_20070719_171849RideSafeTips.pdf
www.sickkids.ca/SKCForParents/custom/GotWheelsGetAHelmetColour.pdf
Leeds, Grenville and Lanark Health Unit www.healthunit.org/injury/summer/bikehel.htm

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Additional resources

Heart and Stroke Foundation - Health Check
Health Canada - Nutrition Labeling
Eating Well on a Budget

 


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The above information has been brought to you by the BCMA Council on Health Promotion