Protecting the Ol’ Noggin: Why Your Child Should Wear a Bike Helmet and How to Choose One

My first thought on this subject is why do kids need helmets for every activity these days. I have never worn a helmet for anything in my life. Of course, having now established in previous posts that I'm a paranoid freak about safety issues, you can imagine that I am no BMX bike rider, white water river rafter, rock climber or bungee jumper. So, my helmet wearing opportunities have been limited to bike riding and downhill skiing. My second thought on this topic is my kids should definitely be wearing helmets for EVERY activity. I certainly don't want my boys getting injured, especially when it can be prevented. And for your information, my kids do have helmets for skiing and biking. Regardless of what my opinion is on whether kids should or should not be wearing helmets for various activities, this subject is widely regulated by state and local laws, specifically on the subject of bike riding. Some states require children to wear helmets while participating in other activities too. For example, a Texas law says that children engaging in bull riding must wear helmets. OK, now see, this law makes a lot of sense to me. Well, assuming that it makes sense to allow your child to ride a bull.

 

Despite whether your state and/or local government requires a child to wear a bike helmet, you should be enforcing this rule in your household. I'll tell you why: According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, medical research shows that a bicycle helmet can prevent or mitigate 85% of cyclists' head injuries, making the use of helmets the single most effective way to reduce head injuries and fatalities resulting from bicycle crashes. More than 700 bike riders are killed in the U.S. every year, almost all in collisions with cars, and 75% of them die of head injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that universal bicycle helmet use by children ages 4 to 15 would prevent 39,000 to 45,000 head injuries and 18,000 to 55,000 scalp and face injuries annually. I think that is pretty amazing.

 

You will find a vast number of shapes, sizes, styles, prices, colors and patterns of children's bike helmets. It can be mind-boggling to figure out which one is right for your child's head. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute provides these tips for choosing a helmet: Look for a helmet with a smooth shell in a bright color to ensure visibility; Check for a pinch-proof buckle and vents for cooling since the foam can hold the heat inside; Put it on your child, adjust the straps and pads or the inner one-size-fits-all ring, and then make sure it will not come off. The helmet should sit level on the child's head, and fit securely with the strap fastened. Many children's helmets come with two or even three sets of foam fitting pads. You can start with thick pads and use the thinner pads as your child's head grows. This means that you won't have to buy a new helmet every year. The fitting pads do not affect the impact protection of the helmet, which is provided by the firmer crushable polystyrene foam. It is important to note that a child of any age needs head protection when riding, but a toddler's neck may not support the weight of a helmet. Therefore, it is not recommended that you ride with a child less than one year old. If you have questions regarding this issue, you should call your pediatrician to discuss it.

 

All helmets sold in the U.S. must meet the US Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC standard and state that on a sticker inside. In the U.S. there are 3 standards: The CPSC (the U.S. law); ASTM F1447 (most widely used before the CPSC); and Snell (the toughest standard). Each of the standards requires the helmet to pass a lab test where it is placed on an instrumented headform, turned upside down and dropped for a measured distance onto an anvil. The anvil can be flat, round (hemispheric) or another shape like a curbstone, a skate blade or a horse's hoof. Drop distances vary but are generally between one and two meters (3.3 to 6.6 feet). For the helmet to pass, the accelerometer inside the headform must register less than 300 g's during the impact, or in some cases less than 250 or even 200 g's. There is always a strap and buckle strength requirement, and sometimes a positional stability or "rolloff" test to see if the helmet will stay on the headform when yanked. The CPSC standard uses a lab test drop of 2.0 meters on a flat anvil and 1.2 meters on a hemispheric and a curbstone anvil.

Here is a table and accompanying maps that show what the helmet laws are for each state, whether it's for motorcycles, scooters or other low-power cycles and bikes.  

Additionally, some states require minors to wear helmets while engaging in other activities, as well. The table below describes which states necessitate helmet use for which activities.

 

States with Laws Requiring Helmets for Other Activities:

 

CA	Nonmotorized scooter, Skateboard, In-line skates, or Roller skates
DC	Roller skates, Skateboard, Sled, Coaster, Toy vehicle, Sidewalk bicycle, Scooter, or Any similar device
FL	Horseback riding
LA	Motor scooters, age 18 and under
NJ	Skates and skateboards
NM	Skates, Scooter or Skateboard
RI	Skateboard, Roller skates, Scooter, or Inline skates
TX	Bull riding

There are some states that have only local laws. For a table with all of the local and state laws listed go to http://www.helmets.org/mandator.htm.

 

Although there is not legislation stating when you need to replace your child's helmet, you should do so after any crash with impact to the helmet. Impact crushes some of the foam rendering the helmet less protective even if the damage is not readily visible. Other reasons to replace the helmet: cracked buckle; a piece breaks off the helmet; or the helmet no longer fits properly. One note of warning, in order to prevent risk of injury or strangulation, a helmet should never be worn while playing on playground equipment or climbing trees. It is of vital importance that you teach your child to remove his or her helmet before playing. While it may be acceptable to use some bike helmets for other activities, it is a good idea to check the standards to see what kinds of impact that particular helmet has been tested for or what other activities it can be used for before using it for any other purpose. For instance, while there is no standard for a scooter helmet, the CPSC reports that bike helmets, in fact, work well for scooters. On the other hand, bike helmets would not necessarily be a good choice for use with equestrian sports, as equestrian helmets have a specific design meant to protect one's head from a hoof.

 

Should children be the only ones wearing helmets for biking? Absolutely not. Go back and read the stats from the 2^nd paragraph. Those numbers are not just for kids. The numbers represent all people of all ages killed and injured in bike accidents. If you make your kids wear helmets to protect them from injury, you should be wearing a helmet too. Not only will you be shielding yourself from injury, it will also be easier to convince your child to wear his or her helmet if you have one on too.

 

Is your child already wearing a bike helmet while riding? Are you? Does your state have a law regulating this activity? Are you about to rush out to the nearest sporting goods store to buy your child a helmet before he or she gets on his or her bike again? I would love to know what you think about these laws or the lack of such a law in your state/city.

 

On Wednesday, I will post tips for how to properly fit a bike helmet to your child's head and a Web site that can provide all kinds of information on bike helmets. Over and out.

 

Anna

Comments

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Other reasons to replace the helmet: cracked buckle; a piece breaks off the helmet; or the helmet no longer fits properly. One note of warning, in order to prevent risk of injury or strangulation.