Hats On for Safety

Bicycle helmets can prevent 85 percent of cyclists’ head injuries.

Parents’ positive attitude to bicycle helmet use was the strongest predictor of children having a helmet.
–“Why teenagers owning a bicycle helmet do not use their helmets.” Lajunen T, Rasanen M. J Safety Res 2001 32(3): 323-332.

Set an expectation (and an example) in your family for wearing helmets every time you bicycle. To further reduce the risk to your child:

• Make sure the helmet is a good fit: level on your child’s head, touching on all sides; and snug but comfortable. The fastened helmet should not move more than an inch in any direction on your child’s head.
• Helmets must stay on even if hit more than once, so be sure it has a strong strap and fastener. Test this by trying to pull the fastened helmet off your child’s head (without hurting).
• Replace a bicycle helmet after an impact since the material from which helmets are made does not recover.
• Standards are no longer a big issue in the US market, but check inside for a CPSC sticker.