How to Choose a Motorcycle Helmet

Because it’s against the law to ride a motorcycle without a helmet in some states, almost every rider has one. In the states where wearing a helmet is optional, some people don them for safety. Although some riders prefer to go without a helmet, if you have to lay your bike down for any reason, you may wish you had one on--and that it fit properly, and met all the requirements stipulated by the government--because all helmets are not created equal. Here are a few tips on choosing a motorcycle helmet.

Why Wear a Helmet?

There are a number of valid reasons to wear a helmet, even if they aren’t required by the laws of your state. A helmet can provide protection against the elements. If you’re caught in a rainstorm, the drops can feel like needles at highways speeds. Wearing a helmet will ease the trauma of a driving rain in addition to keeping your head dry. A helmet will also provide protection against wind noise, and actually help you hear things in the surrounding area better--such as an ambulance, police car, or fire engine siren, or car horns.

Types of Helmets

Basically there are three types of helmets: full face, open face, and those that sit on top of your head like a hat. For all practical purposes, the full face helmet offers the most protection. If you hit a stone on a curve and the bike goes down, you’ll no doubt slide along the pavement or along the shoulder of the road, or you’ll tumble over and over again. Either way your head will more than likely meet the surface in a manner it wasn’t designed to do. If you have a full face helmet on, which offers protection not only for your head, but for your face as well, you will probably sustain less damage than with an open face helmet. If you’re wearing the ‘cap’ type helmet chances are you’ll be hurt even worse, because it doesn’t offer as much protection.

Comfort

A motorcycle helmet doesn’t need to be uncomfortable to be effective. After all, you’re going to be wearing it for extended periods of time, so comfort is imperative. When choosing a helmet, make sure you pick one that isn’t going to strain your neck, and fits properly. Choosing a helmet is like picking out a hat. It should conform to your head’s shape and size. An improperly fitted helmet may be more dangerous than no helmet at all. If the helmet is too tight it could cause discomfort and you’ll be concentrating on that more than on your riding. On the other hand, if your helmet is sliding down over your eyes because it’s too big, the results could be disastrous. The material the helmet is constructed of is also important. It shouldn’t be too hot because that can be distracting, and could ultimately cause you to lose control of the bike because you’re distracted by the discomfort. In fact, aside from a helmet’s impact resistant qualities, its comfort is paramount.

Expensive Means Better--Not Necessarily

The price of a helmet doesn’t have anything to do with whether or not it’ll effectively prevent injury. In tests conducted by motorcycle enthusiast magazines, such as America’s Motorcyclist and the UK’s RIDE, some of the less expensive helmets performed as well or better than some of the most expensive helmets on the market. At the very least, you should choose a helmet that is DOT approved.

Color

Although you will get a great deal of dispute on this topic, the color of a helmet can be an important safety feature. More colorful helmets, such as red, yellow, blue, or green, will stand out against your surroundings and make you more noticeable as you ride down the highway. If you do choose a more neutral color, because you want to match the color of your motorcycle, or for any other reason, adding a reflective strip on the sides and back of the helmet can help improve safety. These strips stick out in the daytime, but are most visible at night because they reflect light from the headlights of the vehicles around you.

You can read more about choosing a motorcycle helmet at MotorcycleInsurance.com.