How to Maximize Motorcycle Helmet Safety

Motorcycle helmet safety is an important issue for motorcycle riders; it's so important that many states have enacted mandatory helmet laws to reduce the number of preventable head injuries and fatalities suffered in motorcycle accidents. To ensure that your motorcycle helmet provides adequate protection in case you should suffer an accident, here is what you can do to maximize motorcycle helmet safety and preserve the life of your helmet.

Instructions

1. Don't buy used. Buying a used helmet can compromise motorcycle helmet safety in a number of ways. First, you won't know whether it's been in a prior accident. If it has, chances are that the cushiony polystyrene layer inside that is designed to absorb the shock of an impact has already been compressed. This will make it worthless in protecting you in an accident. Also, age and exposure to certain elements can make the polystyrene lose its elasticity and become brittle, reducing the amount of protection it provides.

2. Ensure proper fit. To ensure maximum motorcycle helmet safety, a proper fit is essential. If the helmet is too loose, it might shift or slip, leaving you vulnerable to injury. If it is too small or too tight, it may leave areas of the head and neck exposed.

3. Avoid excessive exposure to the sun. If you ride a motorcycle, chances are pretty high that your helmet will be exposed to sunlight. But, you can extend the life of your helmet and maximize motorcycle helmet safety by parking in the shade and storing the helmet out of the sun when not in use. Sunlight damages polystyrene, causing it to wear and become brittle over time.

4. Avoid excessive exposure to gas fumes and other chemicals. Gas vapors are particularly harmful to polystyrene. Avoid hanging your helmet near the gas tank. To maximize motorcycle helmet safety, also avoid storing it in a garage or other area where it will regularly be exposed to concentrated gas fumes and emissions.

5. Avoid pointed or sharp objects. This seems obvious, but make sure you don't hang your helmet on pointed hooks or antennae that could pierce the inner polystyrene layer.

6. Perhaps the most important motorcycle helmet safety step is to replace your helmet every couple of years. Even if you take every possible step to extend the life of the helmet, the inner polystyrene layer will brittle with age, providing you with less protection the older it gets. Also make sure you replace your helmet if you should happen to get in an accident.

   Taking these steps will minimize your expenses by keeping the helmet in good shape for as long as possible, and will provide you with the best possible protection from head injury.