Proving The Effectiveness Of Helmets In Motorcycle Accidents

For years, the mandatory helmet law has been criticized by some people who said that

head protection for motorbike riders is not as effective as the government and safety groups have claimed.

While opponents of this law recognize that helmets can reduce the risk of head injuries, these can increase the risk of motorcycle accidents as the riders vision and hearing may be interfered by this head gear.

To allay some concerns of motorbike riders and assess if helmets can really affect the visual and hearing senses of people, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has conducted a study which involved 50 riders.

How the Study was Conducted

The researchers studied 50 experienced riders in different age groups who were asked to drive from a five-and-a-half mile highway with four lanes.

The riders were then asked to turn their heads before changing lanes every time a vehicle following them blew their horns. Each driver drove the route three times; however, the first time they wore a full coverage helmet, the second time they wore a partial coverage, and the third time they did not wear any head protection.

The whole point of this study was to determine the degree of the riders head rotation and if the head gear impede with their vision and hearing.

Vision Result

Researchers found that while helmets may affect the lateral vision of riders, this was easily compensated by turning their heads more often compared to those who were not wearing a helmet.

With this finding, researchers believe that helmets will not significantly affect the vision of riders as claimed by the opponents of the mandatory helmet law.

The researchers also concluded that any negative effect of helmets far outweighs the protection these provide to people in the event of accidents.

Hearing Result

NHTSA researchers believe that helmets did not affect the hearing ability of riders. However, when riders were traveling at a speed of 30 to 50 mph, their hearing threshold was significantly reduced due to wind noise. This means that the auditory signal must be increased to make motorbike riders aware of other motorists.

But still, the researchers believe that the effectiveness of helmets far outweighs this minimal setback.

Facts About Helmets

Aside from this study, several government agencies and safety groups conducted surveys and laboratory testing to determine how effective the helmets are.

Motorcyclists without helmets are 40 times more likely to die in fatal head injuries compared to those who are wearing head protection.

Helmets can significantly reduce crash fatality by up to 37 percent.

In a study conducted by the University of Southern California, the most significant factor in surviving motorcycle-related accidents involved wearing helmets.

Head injury is the major cause of all motorcycle deaths in the US.

by: Nemilou Despuez

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