Bicycle Helmet Safety

Buy a helmet that meets the safety standards of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) or the Snell Memorial Foundation. Always do these things to ensure a proper fit:

    1. Tighten the chin strap to keep the helmet from slipping forward or backward.
    2. Only two fingers should fit under the chin strap.
    3. Place the helmet directly over the forehead.
Wearing a helmet correctly is vitally important to the ability of the helmet to work effectively in preventing injuries.

Bicycle Helmet Proper Usage

Bicycle Helmets

  • In 1997, 813 bicyclists were killed in crashes, an increase of percent from the previous year. Of these, 97 percent were not wearing helmets.
  • Medical research shows that 85 percent of bicyclists' head injuries can be prevented by a bicycle helmet.
  • About 50 percent of all bicycle riders in the U.S. regularly wear bicycle helmets - a rise from 18 percent in 1991.
  • Of the 50 percent of bikers who regularly wear a bike helmet, 43 percent said they always wear a helmet and 7 percent said they wear a helmet more than half of the time.
  • Universal use of helmets could prevent one death every day and one brain injury every four minutes.
  • Half of all bike riders, do not wear a helmet regularly, which is the single most effective protection against brain injury.
  • Having friends or parents who wear bike helmets significantly encourages children to use them.