Do I really need to replace my bicycle helmet?

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CuriousRob

I've heard that after one accident, you should replace your bicycle helmet because any trauma to the helmet creates "microscopic" stresses that compromise its ability to protect your head. This sounds like a lot of voodoo hoodoo by bicycle helmet manufacturers who want to sell more helmets.

My helmet is several years old, and has sustained plenty of traumas, from a fall or two, to dropping the helmet on a hard surface, to everyday wear and tear. The thin, plastic casing has even completely come off the styrofoam frame, and I've simply glued reflective stickers to the styrofoam and continue to wear it. The plastic covering was SO thin that I have a hard time believing it was ever anything but merely cosmetic.

Come on...are the helmet manufacturers being alarmist just to sell more of their product? Isn't any bicycle helmet just a piece of styrofoam and straps? Do I really need to get a new one?

Answer
If the plastic covering has fallen off your helmet, it should be replaced. The covering is there for a very good reason. If you fall, the smooth plastic allows the helmet to slide on the pavement. Without it, the foam has much more friction and can cause injury if it "sticks" to the pavement. If you have fallen, each time your head hits something the foam compresses, absorbing energy and helping to protect your head. Once the foam has compressed, it can no longer absorb energy if you fall, increasing the chances of head injuries. It is time for a new helmet. Better quality helmets have the thin plastic bonded to the foam, which makes the structure stronger and more durable.

How much is a ticket for not wearing a bicycle helmet in California?

Felipe

I was riding my bike to school without a helmet and I was given a ticket. The officer told me that I would be fined $50 and I would receive a ticket in the mail in 3 weeks. I finally received it and the fine said $197. I went online to the official website of California, SKIP DOWN TO PART E. So what is the deal with this huge fine, when it clearly states a ticket cannot be or $25?

(a) A person under 18 years of age shall not operate a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard, nor shall they wear in-line or roller skates, nor ride upon a bicycle, a nonmotorized scooter, or a skateboard as a passenger, upon a street, bikeway, as defined in Section 890.4 of the Streets and Highways Code, or any other public bicycle path or trail unless that person is wearing a properly fitted and fastened bicycle helmet that meets the standards of either the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) or the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), or standards subsequently established by those entities. This requirement also applies to a person who rides upon a bicycle while in a restraining seat that is attached to the bicycle or in a trailer towed by the bicycle.

(b) Any helmet sold or offered for sale for use by operators and passengers of bicycles, nonmotorized scooters, skateboards, or in-line or roller skates shall be conspicuously labeled in accordance with the standard described in subdivision (a) which shall constitute the manufacturer's certification that the helmet conforms to the applicable safety standards.

(c) No person shall sell, or offer for sale, for use by an operator or passenger of a bicycle, nonmotorized scooter, skateboard, or in-line or roller skates any safety helmet which is not of a type meeting requirements established by this section.

(d) Any charge under this subdivision shall be dismissed when the person charged alleges in court, under oath, that the charge against the person is the first charge against that person under this subdivision, unless it is otherwise established in court that the charge is not the first charge against the person.

(e) Except as provided in subdivision (d), a violation of this section is an infraction punishable by a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars ($25).

Answer
Your fine is $25. However, California places all sorts of assessments upon fines, which raises the cost of a $25 fine to close to $200. (If the officer had been right that the fine was $50, that would have cost almost $300.) However, if you can honestly declare in court under penalty of perjury that you have never been cited for this offense before, the charge must be dismissed.

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Title Post: Do I really need to replace my bicycle helmet?
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