People are reminded all the time of the importance of wearing a helmet if they are riding their bike in Washington. What is interesting to note is that an ill-fitted helmet cannot provide nearly the protection as one that has been carefully selected to fit a person’s head and face.
There are many disadvantages when people choose a helmet solely to say that they own a helmet. A loose helmet can be uncomfortable, distracting and provide minimal protection if an accident does happen. If the helmet shifts or falls off completely, a person’s head will not receive nearly the protection as if they had a snug-fitting helmet that was properly fastened to their head.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests that finding the right helmet may take people time. Simply putting a helmet on is not enough. Once they have tried out a few and have selected the one that is most comfortable, they should customize the head ring and any padding inside of the helmet to fit snugly against their head. After all of their buckles and sliders have been comfortably fitted, the helmet should be sitting level on their head with enough space for two fingers to fit between their eyebrows and where the helmet falls on their forehead.
RUSH.edu reminds people that a helmet is not designed to last a lifetime. If a person’s helmet becomes worn out or is not functioning as it once was, it should be replaced to allow for optimal protection. Likewise, if people are involved in a collision and their helmet is impacted, it should be immediately replaced even if there is no visible damage.
