As I write this article, I’m thinking about the recent accident involving the Pittsburgh Steelers’ star quarterback, “Big Ben” Roethlisberger. If he had been wearing a helmet, his injuries would not have been so severe.

For most of us cyclists, a helmet just doesn’t fit our perception of what riding a bike is, which is freedom! I mean, hey, it just doesn’t look good being on a pig with that little queer helmet. But I think it looks a lot less cool to have your face covered in scars from slipping on the road!

According to statistics, almost every crash in which the bicyclist was not wearing a helmet resulted in a major head injury. In a study of 900 accidents there were 980 head and neck injuries, suggesting that the passengers on many of these motorcycles were also not wearing helmets.

Our neighbors to the north of Canada have now made it illegal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet due to the large percentage of fatalities in accidents where the driver was not wearing a helmet. Of course, in the United States, like many other laws, it is left to the individual states to decide the ruling. I know where I live in Florida, they repealed the helmet law a few years ago and according to an EMT friend of mine it has caused a dramatic increase in head injuries.

If you value your brain and your life, you should be responsible enough to wear a helmet. Some of the factors to consider when buying a motorcycle helmet are listed below.

All motorcycle helmets consist of two main parts, an inner layer or liner that is made of impact reducing foam and an outer layer that is made to absorb the initial impact and protect your head as well as all the damage that the road or others. hard object would have hit him on the head.

When purchasing a motorcycle helmet, you must ensure that it has been approved by the Department of Transportation. If the helmet has been approved, it will have a label from the government agency indicating this. Another sticker recognized throughout the world is that of the Snell Memorial Foundation.

Another thing that is very important is to make sure that the motorcycle helmet you buy fits you well. You need to make sure that it is not too loose or too tight. When you take it off there should be no marks on your face from the pressure of the helmet, if so the helmet is too tight.

You also want to make sure that it doesn’t wobble or come off easily. If you are in an accident and the helmet comes off on first impact, it may be bouncing down the road on your head!