Helmets are priceless, if worn correctly
William H. Borst, Special to The Gazette
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
William H. Borst
Age: 84
Career: Retired from Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service in 1989; serves on Emporia’s multi-use path planning board
My most recent memorable bicycle ride: To and from Salina in July to join my Sacred Heart High School class of ’43 for dinner. I was accompanied by my son and his wife from Manhattan and my daughter from Salina and one of her friends.
School started several weeks ago. The weather is grand. And riding carefully home is a cute third grader on her brand new birthday bicycle. She is riding well and has a new protective helmet cocked jauntily on the back of her head.
Oh, no! Not on the back of her head! What if she should hit an object or fall? The helmet would be in the wrong place to protect her.
And even the most experienced bicyclists will fall. It happened to me when I was bicycling home from work, carefully of course, on the campus of Kansas State University in the spring of 1971 and was struck broadside by a car. I skidded across the street on my shoulder and back until my head collided with the curb. No helmet. I bled a lot, but survived. And when bicycle helmets came on the market, I bought one and have worn one ever since.
Helmets are, by far, the first item of a bicyclist’s personal safety equipment. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says that “Bicycle helmets can reduce the risk of head injury up to 85 percent. Most deaths related to bicycle falls and collisions involve head injuries.”
Helmets are not a fashion item. Helmets should be worn by everyone every time they are on a bicycle: everyone, every time. Their helmet should be the right size and adjusted to fit. Sometimes referred to as a “brain pan,” they should be worn to cover the front of the head, not on the back of the head like a beanie, nor shoved down over the eyes.
The Mayo Clinic staff writes, “The rules for wearing a bicycle helmet are the same for kids and adults, too. Wear the helmet flat on the top of your head. The helmet should cover the top of your forehead without tilting forward or backward. Fasten the chin strap just below your chin. If the bicycle helmet doesn’t feel snug, use the foam sizing pads that come with the helmet to get a better fit. The helmet shouldn’t rock from front to back or side to side.
“If the helmet is tilted forward, the back of your head is more vulnerable to the force of a crash. A bicycle helmet that tips backward is just as problematic. When this happens, the front and side of your head are vulnerable to the force of a crash.”
According to Lt. John Koelsch, Emporia’s police bicycle patrol, “The most important thing is to wear a helmet when riding a bicycle. The helmet should be snug, not tight, set squarely on the head with a finger’s width between the chin and chin strap. The “Y” of the chin harness should be just below the ear lobe.”
Locally, helmets may be purchased at High Gear Cyclery and Fitness Equipment, Newman Medical Equipment & Supplies, and Walmart. Helmets are available from a variety of vendors found on the Internet as well. Prices are as low as $4 and go beyond $175. Whatever the brand name or price, it must have a sticker inside with CPSC approval to be a safe helmet. Help in fitting the new helmet for that third grader or yourself is available from suppliers, the Emporia Police Department bicycle patrol, any experienced bicyclist or myself.
Matt Brown of High Gear Cyclery reminds us that helmets, once crashed, can be damaged, even though the damage is not visible. Such damage can happen in a crash such as mine or even by the helmet being dropped or crushed accidentally. And the protective foam liner inside the hard shell deteriorates with time. A person should consider replacing helmets after any crash and after three or more years of use.
Parents who insist on their children wearing helmets are to be commended. Even more so are those parents who demonstrate their belief in safety by wearing helmets themselves.
More details are available at www.helmets.org/guide.htm, www.cpsc.gov and at www.mayoclinic.com/health/bicycle-helmet/HQ00324/METHOD=print.
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
WATCH OUT FOR POT HOLES!
September 8, 2009 at 2:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Sometimes when you hear a song or read a headline, it reminds you of an event of long ago. Helmets are priceless, if worn correctly. When I see the word helmet, I think football and so I recall a story about a teammate of mind named Bruce Upstill. He never played highschool football until he came to the College of Emporia. He was so green that he wore his sholder pads backwards until he had worn a raw place on his throat. In his 4 seasons he passed for 6517 yards an N.A.I.A. record.
September 8, 2009 at 5:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )