5 Common Motorcycle Helmet Myths
I often hear people commenting on how motorcycle helmets aren’t that great and can actually cause more problems than if you’re not wearing one. While that might be the case in some extremely rare situations, for the majority of us, wearing a helmet is a no-brainer (also a law in some states). Below are some common misconceptions about helmets.
1. Motorcycle Helmets Break Necks
You’ve put more weight on your head by wearing a helmet, so you may think it logical that the force of a crash will be more likely to break your neck when you wear a helmet. Luckily, that’s not exactly so. DOT approved helmets are designed to absorb energy from a crash, the same energy that would break necks upon impact. It’s actually been shown that helmets help to prevent neck injuries in crashes.
2. Helmets Decrease Alertness and Hide Danger
One of the most common misconceptions people have is thinking that by wearing a helmet they won’t be as alert as if they aren’t wearing one. Really though, research shows that those who do wear a helmet seem to crash less often. This could be due to many things, but most likely because: riders who wear helmets understand the importance of safe driving; a helmet cuts down on wind noise and provides good eye protection; and most importantly, helmets do not impair peripheral vision, so riders really can see impending danger.
3. A Helmet Won't Help in Crashes
I wonder who came up with this crazy idea. I mean, really, do you think the government would mandate the use of helmets if they didn’t help?? Most motorcycle helmets are tested at low impact speeds, leading people to believe that at higher speeds the helmet won’t be of any help. It’s important to remember though that most impacts do happen at relatively low speeds. Besides that, helmets that meet DOT standards (the ones you should be wearing) are made to save lives, even at high impact speeds. That’s just what they do. If you still don’t believe me, do research. You’ll see that riders who wear helmets sustain less head injury than those that don’t.
4. A Helmet Will Leave You Brain Damaged in a Crash
Brain damage is possible in any situation, helmet or not. But again, the helmet really is designed to keep injuries from being serious. If you really do sustain an impact that hard, chances are that your life-threatening situation is due to many other injuries. You’ll actually find that riders who aren’t wearing helmets are much more likely to sustain brain injuries, even at low speeds. For the most common impacts, you’ll likely not end up with any serious brain damage.
5. Helmets make riders feel secure and increases risky behavior.
I can see where this idea came from, and for some people, this may be the case. For the majority of us though, wearing a helmet indicates that we understand the risks associated with riding and we take our health and safety seriously. In fact, there is some indication that riders who wear full gear will actually ride in a less risky way than others.
Regardless of whether you believe any of these myths or not, wearing a helmet is the best thing you can do for yourself. Trust that if helmets weren’t really helpful, so many people wouldn’t be encouraging you to wear one. And it definitely wouldn’t be a law to wear one. And the helmet companies would be frantically searching for new ways to improve helmet performance. But helmets do help. The proof is in the numbers.
- Julie