You Can Beat The Egg Without Breaking The Shell

(This article was originally published in my sports page column Self-Propelled

in the June 12 to 18, 2011 issue of the Baguio Chronicle

--- a weekly newspaper based in Baguio City, Philippines.)

Our head is designed by evolution to withstand minor shocks under natural conditions but it is

poorly suited for falling headfirst unto concrete or smashing into cars or hitting the curb. These can happen to a bicycle rider and there is no doubt that the one who is wearing a helmet will have higher chances of surviving than the one who is not.

The primary danger results from riding with your head five or six feet above the hard pavement in a position from which you can easily be knocked down without a chance to cushion your skull. If your head falls free from this distance, it will break on the pavement due to the acceleration of gravity alone, quite apart from the additional velocity resulting from your motion on the bike. It therefore makes good sense to wear a standard helmet --- all the time you are on your bike.

The American National Standards Institute or (ANSI) created a standard called ANSI Z80.4 in 1984. Later, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) created its own mandatory standard for all bicycle helmets sold in the United States, which took effect in March 1999. In the European Union (EU) the currently applicable standard is EN 1078:1997 while in the UK, the current standard is BS EN 1078:1997, which is identical to the EU standard, and which replaced BS 6863:1989 in 1997.

In Australia and New Zealand, the current legally-required standard is AS/NZS 2063. The performance requirements of this standard are slightly less strict than the Snell B95 standard but incorporate a quality assurance requirement. As a result, the AS/NZS can be argued to be safer.

The CPSC and EN1078 standards are lower than the Snell B95 (and B90) standard. Snell helmet standards are externally verified, with each helmet traceable by unique serial number. EN 1078 is also externally validated, but lacks Snell's traceability. The most common standard in the US, CPSC, is self-certified by the manufacturers. It is generally true to say that Snell standards are more exacting than other standards, and most helmets on sale these days will not meet them.

According to the Sierra Club’s Guide to Outing on Wheels, “no matter how skilled a rider you are, some idiot in a car can come zooming out of a driveway and zap you. Brilliant riding technique on your part has nothing to do with it. If you don’t want to wear a helmet, that’s okay, but you should recognize that your failure to wear one increases the dangers of cycling.”

Once you make up your mind that the additional protection is worth the trouble of wearing a helmet, you might as well wear one that provides reasonable amount of rigidity and shock absorbency. Once you have decided to wear a helmet, make up your mind to wear it whenever you are on your bike.

To do its job, the helmet must fit correctly, be worn correctly and be properly secured. Do not hesitate to refer to the owner’s manual provided with the helmet.

Accidents tend to occur at the most unexpected times. Injuries may occur even at a very low speed. So keep your helmet on all the time. Remember this: YOU CAN BEAT THE EGG WITHOUT BREAKING THE SHELL.*

(Today, June 8, I get off my bike to greet my second daughter a happy 20th birthday.)