New Bike Helmet Ratings Provide Information About Best Head Injury Protection

A new report suggests that popular bicycle helmets sold throughout the U.S. may provide varying levels of protection from concussions and head trauma in a bike accident, and the safety ratings often have little link to the cost. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released the findings of a bike helmet safety study on June 26, which analyzed the top 30 popular adult-size helmets to test performance in concussion and trauma scenarios.

The research was first of its kind study, and was done in conjunction with researchers at the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, where other types of sports head protection equipment is tested. The lab’s director, and associate professor of biomedical engineering, Steve Rowson, and his colleagues developed a new bike helmet rating system, which is designed to help gauge which bike helmets provide the best head protection in an accident.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has performance standards for bicycle helmet manufacturers, designed to ensure their helmets prevent skull fractures or severe brain injury. In this study, researchers set out to determine how effective the standards are at preventing concussion injuries specifically in bike crashes.

Researchers conducted tests with two different rigs with a realistic dummy head hitting a slanted anvil on asphalt at different angles to replicate a realistic cyclist crash scenario. By equipping the helmets with sensors in the head form, researchers were able to measure linear acceleration and rotational velocity, and the risk of concussion estimated from those measurements.

From the results, Rowson was able to assign a rating level from one to five stars representing how effective the model reduced overall injury risk.

The first 30 helmets to be tested were all popular adult-size models that showed a range in performance levels with only four earning the highest five star rating, two earning 2 stars, and the rest fell into the three to four star range.

Contrary to many consumer beliefs, researchers pointed out that the price of a helmet did not necessarily reflect an increase in safety, citing both a $200 Bontrager Ballista MIPS and a $75 Specialized Chamonix MIPS both earned five star ratings.

Researchers found that helmets equipped with Multi-Directional Impact Protection Systems (MIPS) can lessen the risk of concussions significantly. MIPS are designed with an inner layer that allows the head to slide and twist slight in an impact, lessening the jolt of the force that causes trauma and swelling of the brain.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) an estimated 81,000 people were treated at U.S. emergency rooms for bike-related head injuries in 2015. That number is estimated to be under reported since it does not also include visit to primary care physicians for bike related head injuries.

The agency also reports a total of 835 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles in 2016 alone, which is the highest number of bicycle related fatalities recorded since 1991. Crash data indicates that half of those killed were not wearing helmets during the crash.