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Which? stirs the helmet debate with product test

The consumer watchdog tackles a sensitive area for cyclists

The consumer magazine Which? have tested cycle helmets in their July issue, and at the same time launched a Which? Conversation (that's a blog post to you and I ) debating whether or not EU law mandating helmets for the under-13s should be enacted here in the UK.

Regular road.cc'ers will know that's a hot topic in these parts, with those believing in personal resposibility and free choice noisily battling it out with those who think helmet-wearing saves lives and serious injury.

Which? set their stall out firmly with the following words:

There have been plenty of reports to support the use of cycle helmets spanning the last two decades. But an international review of the evidence gathered by the UK Department for Transport in 2009 concluded there was no reliable evidence that helmets resulted in a lower risk of head injury for cyclists.

While not mandatory, we think bike helmets are worth wearing when in the saddle – if you buy a good one. However, our testing found a few helmets that seriously underperformed.

For example, we awarded the Met Camaleonte Executive adult bike helmet our Don’t Buy status, having failed to meet the European Standard in our tests. We’ve even asked Met to recall the helmet. But do you think it’s better to wear a low-quality helmet than to not wear one at all?

The publication included a poll for readers, asking whether cyclists should be made to wear helmets by law, and the results were very interesting.

69 per cent (375 votes) said "No - cyclists shouldn't be legally required to wear helmets", while just a third of that number, 23% per cent, or 126 people said yes. Four per cent thought only children should have to wear helmets, and the same number weren't sure.

The comments below also gave rise to a number of interesting points.

The user Robwiz said: "For mountain biking and road and track competitions a helmet is essential. Just as a helmet is worn in motor sport. However, for everyday cyclists a helmet is an irrelevance. Cycle helmets are designed to absorb the impact of a rider falling off a back onto the ground – an accident which hardly ever happens in the real world. The most common collision mode is a motorised vehicle turning across the path of a cyclist, who is riding straight on a major road at a junction with a minor road.

"If you look at accident statistics, there are more UK fatalities from drowning and falling down stairs. Should it be compulsory to wear a helmet when going up or down stairs? Or to wear a life jacket when walking along a canal or river path?"

Other users invoked the seatbelt law for cars in the UK.

Wavechange said: "It is interesting to read the comments that fewer people would cycle if there was a requirement to wear helmets. I cannot remember if people gave up driving and motorcycling when seatbelts and motorcycle helmets became compulsory."

Another user cited the helmet laws in Australia and New Zealand.

John Irwin wrote: "So in light of no compelling evidence that wearing helmets results in a lower risk of head injury for cyclists why go ahead with it? In the countries which have implemented similar legislation (Australia & New Zealand) the result has been a significant drop in the numbers of people cycling."

The Which? helmet test sounds like it will make for revealing reading - Which? have the resources to actually test helmets to the standards they claim to meet, something most specialist publications aren't able to do. As for the Which? helmet debate… from all at road.cc to whoever from Which? has to moderate it, a hearty 'Good luck!'

 

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44 comments

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bikerdavecycling | 9 years ago
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Can anyone summarise the Which report in terms of which helmet models were good & which were bad. I can recommend the Catlike Kompact'o for what it's worth! Two accidents & 2 smashed helmets in a year but no concussion.

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PaulVWatts | 11 years ago
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No chance of Road.cc begging the rights to reprint the full article from Which?

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duzza | 11 years ago
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why is it that people in the wear a helmet camp want to force people to wear helmets and people in the don't wear a helmet camp could not care less whether you wear one or not? cycling is NOT dangerous!!!

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Stumps | 11 years ago
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I'd rather have a piece of flimsy polystyrene and thin plastic shell than nothing at all.  4

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Tripod16 | 11 years ago
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I'm more concerned with over-population, so for those who are in with a shout of winning a Darwin Award, excessive smoking/drinking, obesity, not wearing a helmet, etc. more power to you.  19

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cat1commuter | 11 years ago
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Current helmet safety standard requirements are very modest, so it is pretty shocking if some are failing!

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giff77 | 11 years ago
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OK - two things -
1) Learn not to fall
2) Learn how to fall if you are going to have an off

The vast majority of people who cycle and will now be attracted ti cycling due to Wiggo's victory will more than likely cycle along cycle paths and round parks. Their avg speed will more than likely be less than 10mph. If they fall off their bikes it will be more of a topple than anything else. The rest - well there may be a case for the wearing of a helmet. Again falls can be avoided by reading the road, not overcooking corners and desents, not cycling through standing water etc.

We are in greater danger from SMIDSY's, boy racers and misled 'road owners' and there is no way a bit of polystyrene and hi viz is going to protect us. The autorities need to emphasise that all road users do not have 4 wheels (min) and 200bhp and respect needs to be given to all.

Again I refer to the first 2 points if you insist on falling off a bike

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OldRidgeback | 11 years ago
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I had a big spill yesterday and was glad to be wearing my helmet. The thing is, I was competing in a BMX event and the reason I went over my bars was because I mis-timed a jump into a berm. If you're racing, then yes a helmet is a good idea because you're going fast and the margins of safety are slimmer. For road riding I don't see the need. I do wear a skateboarding helmet, not unlike Cauld's most probably, when I'm doing regular commuting through London but for shorter trips I don't bother. And when I'm riding my motorcycle, I always wear a helmet because it is a legal requirement.

I'll be curious to see the results of the Which tests. I am a qualified mechanical engineer (even tho I don't work in that field any more) and 90% of shell type cycle helmetsseem to me to be so utterly flimsy that they offer next to no protection anyway.

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Daclu Trelub | 11 years ago
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I wear a skater's helmet out on the road - much better looking and, imo, a bit more protection than the flimsy things most riders wear. Then again, I'm not trying to look like I'm some saddo emulating Cav or Wiggo.
After decades of motorcycling helmet wearing and being able to say, hand on heart, that motorcycle skid lids saved my head on a couple of sub-30mph occasions, I need no convincing of the efficacy of a decent lid.
It should still be a matter of choice though, and I do occasionally nip down the village without one on.
I'd hate to see it made compulsory.

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cborrman | 11 years ago
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The only statistic you need to know is how many helmets are left in pieces after many accidents... I have never met a cyclist who does not have a "helmet in pieces" story of their own or fellow riders'

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workhard replied to cborrman | 11 years ago
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A helmet in pieces shows that the helmets have failed, and failed catastrophically rather than compressing to protect the skull.

The darned things are only tested to sub 13mph impacts. Why is that do you think? Why have the testing standards been downgraded over time? If we come off above that speed, a speed most of us travel in excess of most of the time, it can't be claimed that they make any difference as they are performing outside their envelope.

If I smash someone over the head with a sledgehammer, the head of which is moving at 20mph, do we really think a piece of flimsy polystyrene and thin plastic shell is going to make the slightest bit of difference to the injuries sustained as a result?

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msw replied to workhard | 11 years ago
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workhard wrote:

If I smash someone over the head with a sledgehammer, the head of which is moving at 20mph, do we really think a piece of flimsy polystyrene and thin plastic shell is going to make the slightest bit of difference to the injuries sustained as a result?

Ah, the Argument From Personal Incredulity. Always a winner.

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ollieclark replied to workhard | 9 years ago
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workhard wrote:

If I smash someone over the head with a sledgehammer, the head of which is moving at 20mph, do we really think a piece of flimsy polystyrene and thin plastic shell is going to make the slightest bit of difference to the injuries sustained as a result?

Actually, yes. A very similar thing happened to me (although it was my head hitting a rock at at least 20mph, probably more). Helmet smashed to pieces. Head completely unharmed.

Think about it. You're about to be hit over the head with a sledgehammer at 20mph. You're offered a cycle helmet to wear. Do you accept the offer?

Now obviously it's very unlikely that you'll be hit over the head with a sledge hammer (just as it's fairly unlikely that you'll get a head injury whilst cycling). That's a good argument for helmets not being compulsory to prevent sledge hammer injuries (or cycling head injuries). Arguing that a helmet makes no difference to the severity of those injuries is just bonkers though.

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ollieclark replied to cborrman | 9 years ago
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Yep. Branch got stuck in spokes on a downhill on a mountain. I went over the handlebars, about 3m in the air (apparently) and landed head first on a large rock. The helmet broke into 3 pieces but I cycled away with a few scratches.

Having said that, I still don't think helmets should be compulsory and in fact I still don't wear one all the time. Putting on a helmet and reflective clothing etc. seems overkill for a quick ride to the corner shop to buy some milk. I've been in plenty of collisions on the road but never had a head injury.

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Stumps | 11 years ago
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Some say its a financial gimmick that the pro's all have to wear helmets however the UCI say it's safety reasons  39

However if they come off at the speed they travel and its meant to help prevent injury (notice i said help prevent - not stop) then a mere mortal like most cyclists should in reality be travelling slower so the impact they take on their bonce should be less, therefore the wearing of a lid should in turn help prevent more injury to us.

At school in science we were told "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" hence my arguement above.

In the end though it will come down to personal choice and i hope those who dont wear a lid dont look back one day and say "if only".

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Municipal Waste | 11 years ago
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Something I found out yesterday which I'm excited to learn more about when I go to the product launch in September, is that Scott say they've got a new bicycle helmet out that has a membrane layer inside it that mimics what the fluid surrounding the brain does in an impact. It's come from their snow sports experience supposedly and is meant to be good at shrugging off 'glancing' impacts that are, according to Scott, the most common type.

 105

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elvisonwheels | 11 years ago
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having survived the etape at the weekend, I got back on my bike tuesday on the streets on london in time to suffer the kind of accident Robwiz describes. While I was lucky it happened at the top of a hill, stead of at the bottom, I was happy to be wearing a helmet as the cut on my forehead from the side of the car would've been something worse. not saying everyone needs to wear a helmet, but i'm firmly in the yes camp after 12 years riding in london.

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PJ McNally | 11 years ago
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yay helmet related article, what a great place to rehearse a really long boring argument.

I'm going for a bike ride, and i just might wear a helmet.

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spindoctore | 11 years ago
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I had a big off in February when riding with the Lotto guys - dislocated my collarbone, and trashed my helmet. it was always an essential piece of kit IMO, but now having seen the damage it sustained, and how well my head was protected I simply would'nt ride without one

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oozaveared replied to spindoctore | 9 years ago
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spindoctore wrote:

I had a big off in February when riding with the Lotto guys - dislocated my collarbone, and trashed my helmet. it was always an essential piece of kit IMO, but now having seen the damage it sustained, and how well my head was protected I simply would'nt ride without one

This is one of the most commonly cited bits of evidence. ie My helmet was trashed so it saved my head.

It's bunk. The helmet was trashed because it failed to work. Cycle helmets are designed to work by absorbing impact. On impact the styrofoam compacts absorbing energy. It's ok for a low powered impact from 50 - 100 joules or about the same as banging your head on the desk. British EU and US standards mandate 50 Joules the better helmets when brand new will absorb up to 100 joules.

If the helmet splits or the styrofoam cracks it's because the helmet was overwhelmed. It was unable to absorb the impact. If it didn't absorb the energy of the impact then what do you think happened to that energy?

Anyone? Anyone?

Yes that's right the energy was transferred. Your helmet didn't do anything to mitigate the impact. Though It might have stopped a cut.

The "My helmet split so that would have been my head" arguments are voodoo science. They rely on a complete misunderstanding of how cycle helmets are constructed and designed to work, allied to complete ignorance/amnesia about what you probably learned at school in physics.

Lets do the maths and ditch the witchcraft shall we:

I don't know what you weigh but lets go for 70kg
your head to the ground is probably 1.75m

Now let's say you aren't even travelling you just fall off. ie akin to having nearly stooped and then going over the bars.

you can use velocity of around 5m/s derived from the object falling formula

KE = half of Mass x Velocity squared KE = 70 x 25 over 2 so KE = 825 joules.

So if your helmet had been perfect and it might have (but probably didn't) protect you from 50 - 100 joules of that energy. Your helmet failed to protect you from the other 775 joules.

In all likelihood the helmet failed completely because the speed of impact exceeded the compression rate of the styrofoam. So your head took the full 875 or more.

Your head has way more impact absorbing capacity than any stryrofoam helmet.

Next week we'll cover the topic

Rabbits foot: Any use when a white van left hooks me?

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Bikeylikey | 11 years ago
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Quote from Which: 'But an international review of the evidence gathered by the UK Department for Transport in 2009 concluded there was no reliable evidence that helmets resulted in a lower risk of head injury for cyclists.'

No reliable evidence for a thing does not necessarily mean that it is not true. It might just mean that evidence has not been found yet, or is difficult to produce. It seems obvious that if you crash onto your head that you will have a lower chance of injury with a helmet on than with nothing between your head and the road. How would you prove this with 'evidence'? Do you need to prove it?

Quote from above: 'Cycle helmets are designed to absorb the impact of a rider falling off a back onto the ground' - what is this supposed to mean? Can anyone explain?

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PhilRuss replied to Bikeylikey | 11 years ago
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bikeylikey wrote:

Quote from Which: 'But an international review of the evidence gathered by the UK Department for Transport in 2009 concluded there was no reliable evidence that helmets resulted in a lower risk of head injury for cyclists.'

No reliable evidence for a thing does not necessarily mean that it is not true. It might just mean that evidence has not been found yet, or is difficult to produce. It seems obvious that if you crash onto your head that you will have a lower chance of injury with a helmet on than with nothing between your head and the road. How would you prove this with 'evidence'? Do you need to prove it?

Quote from above: 'Cycle helmets are designed to absorb

the impact of a rider falling off a back onto the

ground' - what is this supposed to mean? Can anyone

explain?

[[[[[[[[[[ Probably means "falling off a bike"
PhilRuss.

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Tony Farrelly | 11 years ago
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I'd say per mile travelled the stairs are more dangerous than the road in the UK. Let's put it another way, if you treat cyclng as purely a sport the only two sporting activities that are less dangerous are rambling and golf.

That doesn't mean that more couldn't and shouldn't be done to make it safer as a form of transport - especially now that more people who are new to it are being encouraged on to the roads, but also that we shouldn't dangerise cycling unnecessarily. The fact is that for the vast majority that do it, cycling is helping to extend their lifespan not shorten it.

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beastie replied to Tony Farrelly | 11 years ago
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tony_farrelly wrote:

I'd say per mile travelled the stairs are more dangerous than the road in the UK. Let's put it another way, if you treat cyclng as purely a sport the only two sporting activities that are less dangerous are rambling and golf.

More people die playing golf than any other sport in the UK, mainly from heart attacks. The left arm comes across the front of the chest on the back swing, and raises blood pressure instantly. Many golfers are elderly and the above is the trigger that causes heart failure. Fore !!!

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PhilRuss | 11 years ago
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[[[[ So, more folks die falling down stairs than die cycling?
Okay, (I'm no statistician), but surely stair-walkers vastly outnumber cyclists at any given time, so the statement looks vague to say the least. Hmmm...I imagine more dozy pedestrian jay-walkers injure more bikies than the other way round, but isn't there a case for urban pedestrians to wear helmets, given the very serious noggin-injuries they incur when run over by motor vehicles? I'd wear a skidlid myself, if I could find one that didn't make me look like The Mekon...
P.R.

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tpb1 | 11 years ago
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After having had a bad racing bike crash at the age of 13 following which I had amnesia and spent 3 days in hospital (was not wearing a helmet!!), I always wear a helmet now!
I recently saw someone recently get airlifted to hospital during a sportive who also was not wearing a helmet (organisers are making it compulsory next year apparently) I would not risk going without one. Is it worth the risk to not wear one??- yes they are not infallible however if it decreases the risk of head injury if by only a few percent then its still worth it in my mind.

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Viro Indovina | 11 years ago
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I voted yes.
Helmets save lives and prevent catastrophic injuries.

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SounDaz_7 | 11 years ago
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I work in brain injury rehabilitation and see the results of serious head injuries on a daily basis. Protect your head, when you're on your bike always wear a helmet.

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fluffy_mike replied to SounDaz_7 | 11 years ago
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I work in brain injury rehabilitation and see the results of serious head injuries on a daily basis. Protect your head, when you're on your bike always wear a helmet.

No-one's denying head injuries occur, but we dispute (1) they happen often enough to regular cyclists to warrant wearing protective equipment and that (2) cycle helmets actually make any difference.

I believe you're suffering from "information error", a problem whereby humans think that what they personally see each day also applies to the whole world.

Yes, you see brain trauma in cyclists because that's your job - but what if all the millions of people who didn't have head injuries (including a every cyclist) also came to your surgery each day?

Would you then have a different view of the world?

You clearly think you're being helpful telling us what you see, but you're actually presenting a hugely distorted view of the world...

just in case you were wondering, like  1

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CarbonBreaker | 11 years ago
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I'm from the UK, lived in Asia for 10 years, the last 3 of which in Singapore, (crowded, busy, poor driving). I always wear a helmet. I've just moved to the Netherlands, if I go for a long ride, I see maybe 3 out of 200 people on bikes wearing helmets, and they are usually expats or people going fast on serious kit. The other 197 are crazy in my opinion. But in a country that has so many dedicated bike paths, with even their own traffic lights systems (which no one jumps), why would they need helmets.

I think it depends on your own personal choice, if tis

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