Riding a motorcycle might look fun. However, the risks associated with driving one cannot be overlooked. Looking at the road related accidents in Nepal, most of the riders riding a motorcycle becomes the victim of the crash. More than this, a report from the Nepal Police reports that in an average Nepal records 21 % of Motorcycle crash related injuries and in a day 3.1 number of motorcyclist dies. Bikes being one of the most popular road transports, has gained wide popularity. But, despite of all the popularity, two-wheeler is the most dangerous vehicles compared to Cars and other auto-motives.

Motorcycle riders must be aware and needs to take necessary precautions to protect themselves from any road-related mishaps. Being on the vulnerable side, a motorcycle accident can be fatal or lead to serious injuries. Thus, it is important to be protected. One of the pivotal and vital organs to protect while driving the motorcycle is protecting the head. As any injuries on the head can cause death or metal disability, helmets are devised or invented by integrating these 6 important components:

The Shell

The shell is the sturdy outer surface of a helmet. It helps to distribute the impact over a large surface area by minimizing the impact of the force before reaching the head. Although sturdy, it compresses if it hits anything hard. It also blocks the penetration of small, sharp and high-speed objects is obstructed.

Shock-Absorbing Liner

The Shock/Impact-absorbing liner is a thick layer made of a soft and crushable padded material. It is something like expanded polystyrene also known as Styrofoam. It helps to absorb the shock at the time of the accident and protect the head of the rider from electrocution if the rider head hits on the hard surface.

Comfort Pad

The comfort padding is soft layer assembled using foam and cloth in order to provide comfort to the head.

Chin Straps

The retention system also known as a chin strap makes sure that the helmet stays on the head even during accident. A strap is connected on both side of the shell. It is important that the riders correctly use the strap at all times.

Vents

Ventilation holes are an integral part of the helmet as it helps to keep the head cool. It helps protect helmets from getting stinky, keep the visor fog-free and reduces misting.

Visor

A visor acts as a shield to keep branches from hitting your face. The visor allows you to duck your head and block everything from hitting your face straight on. In this case, longer bike helmet visors help more than shorter bike helmet visors.

 Wearing a helmet while riding a motorcycle is solely for safety purpose and is the one and only, most effective way to reduce the risk of head injuries during road accidents. Helmet acts as a barrier between the head and the object. It helps to spread the force of impact over a greater surface area and minimizes the impact / damages on the brain / skull. There are various designs of helmets available in the market. Out of the full-face, open-face and half-head helmets the full-face helmets are highly recommended as they not only provide impact protection but also facial protection to the riders. The chin bar extending outward on a full-face helmet wraps the chin and jaw area of a rider and protects them in case of accident. The rider mustn’t compromise on the choice of helmets and must choose helmets with crushable liner that is at least 1.5cm to 3cm thick to ensure shock absorption during the crash.

The helmet manufacturers must follow certain international safety standard requirements. We will discuss about it in our next blog.