It’s Riders4Helmets International Helmet Awareness Day! Hundreds of retailers in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, the U.S. and UK are offering discounts on helmets today in support of the cause.
You know the EN team is a big proponent of helmet use — every ride, every time — and today we’re bringing you some helmet tips and info from Lyndsey White of Riders4Helmets. Take it away, Lyndsey!
10 things you might not know about wearing a helmet:
1. If you have a hard impact blow while wearing your helmet, immediately replace it with a new helmet. There may be damage to the helmet that is not visible to the naked eye.
2. Helmet manufacturers generally recommend replacing your hat every four to five years. Helmets take a beating over time from sweat, heat, dust and rain, and the styrofoam liner in the helmet, relinquishes its ability to protect the head over time. “Replacing your helmet sooner than four to five years may, in some circumstances, be necessary,” Lyndsey notes.
3. A ponytail or different hairstyle can affect the fit of your helmet. When you try on helmets prior to purchase, wear your hair in the style that you expect to wear it when riding.
4. Only purchase a helmet online if it is brand new and unused. Check the date of manufacture. Purchasing a used helmet can be very risky and is NOT recommended. The helmet may have sustained previous damage that you are not able to see.
5. Riding is considered more dangerous than downhill skiing and motorcycling.
6. There is no statistical correlation between skill level and injury likelihood. Professional riders are just as “at risk” to sustain injury due to a fall as amateur riders.
7. Approximately 20 percent of all accidents which result in head injuries happen while the person is on the ground.