What Is the Safest Bicycle Helmet?

Most people are aware that bicycle helmets are an extremely important safety component for riding bikes, for both children and adults. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), wearing a helmet is “the single most effective way to prevent head injury resulting from a bicycle crash.”

However, some helmets may offer more protection than others. So what is the safest bicycle helmet, and how can you make sure that you’re most effectively protecting yourself while riding?

Which helmets are the highest rated?

Until very recently, bicycle helmets did not have a standardized ratings program that would tell consumers how much protection they offered. Research from Virginia Tech and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety allowed a new helmet ratings program to be created with testing that would give cyclists a sense of what they were getting.

Thirty popular adult bicycle helmets were initially tested, and varied widely in their safety ratings. Only four earned 5 stars (out of a 5-star system), and two earned 2 stars. The majority of helmets fell in the middle range.

Interestingly, the testing found that simply buying the most expensive helmet was not actually a way to guarantee you were buying the safest bicycle helmet. Indeed, one of the 5-star helmets cost $200, while another cost only $75.

The four 5-star helmets differ in price, brand, and appearance, but all are equipped with a Multi-Directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), which, according to Evans Cycles, creates a layer of low-friction inside the helmet, which reduces impact on the brain and therefore lowering the risk of concussion and other brain injuries.

More helmets have now been tested since the initial 30, and the only other helmets to receive 5-star ratings besides those with MIPS technology are made by Bontrager, which uses its own type of friction-reducing technology it calls WaveCel.

The researchers who helped create this ratings system hoped to offer a more empirical, objective sense of what the safest bicycle helmet is.

“Our goal with these ratings is to give cyclist an evidence-based tool for making informed decisions about how to reduce their risk of injury,” said Steve Rowson, the director of the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab. “We also hope manufacturers will use the information to make improvements.”

Why are bicycle helmets a necessary safety feature?

In some cases, adults and kids alike choose not to wear helmets while riding their bikes. But out of 835 bicyclists killed in car accidents in 2016, more than half weren’t wearing helmets. The risk of a head injury goes down by about 50 percent for those who wear a helmet, according to estimations.

Can I file a lawsuit if my helmet was not effective?

If you have recently purchased a bike helmet that doesn’t offer the level of injury protection you were led to expect—most importantly, that doesn’t include MIPS technology—you may be able to join a bike helmet safety class action lawsuit investigation.

Join a Free Bicycle Helmet Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you purchased a bicycle helmet within the last couple of years that does not measure up to the current technology available, you may qualify to join this bike helmet safety class action lawsuit investigation.

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