ALT-1 The Importance of Wearing a Helmet while Riding a Motorcycle
Wearing a crash helmet when riding a motorbike can save your life. A bold statement but one that shows the importance of wearing a helmet when you are riding a bike. No matter how short your journey there will always be a risk of parting company with your motorcycle and if you are not wearing protection you risk head injury. Although crash helmets may seem expensive when they are new, how much is that cost when you compare it to your continued existence?
Of course it is important to wear the right sort of helmet as well. A crash helmet that has no 'dot' approval or any other safety accreditation can make matters worse and increase injury to your skull due to poor manufacture. Another important factor is the fit of your helmet. Too loose and again you may be better off not wearing one.
When purchasing a new crash helmet it is a good idea to visit a good retailer, so that they can assist with obtaining the correct fit. Use their experience to enhance your safety. This is much better than purchasing a helmet on line, where you are only guessing at how well your purchase will fit you.
You should also be cautious about borrowing someonelse's crash helmet or buying a second hand one as you have little knowledge of its history. Most crash helmet construction is such that once it has received an impact it should be discarded and you will not know if this has happened to the borrowed or second hand lid.
An additional value to wearing a crash helmet is that it gives great weather protection that is streamlined and comfortable. Far better a fitted visor than goggles or sunglasses when riding in the rain. The visor's smooth surface will help with shedding rain as you ride into it therefore giving you much better visibility and therefore greater safety in inclement conditions.
In some Countries it is against the law to ride a motorcycle if you are not wearing a crash helmet. In addition, not wearing a helmet can invalidate your vehicle insurance if a helmet is not worn. So, not wearing a helmet can not only endanger your safety but could cost you in other ways as well.
Most riders, if they are honest, know that at some time in their riding career they are likely to come off their bike for some reason or other. The sensible ones wear a crash helmet as insurance against such an event. You can always buy a new helmet if it gets damaged but the same cannot be said about your head.
