We are good at wearing bike helmets…however we often don’t take the time to ensure our helmet fits correctly. A check that needs to happen every time you ride. Learn about the correct fitting of your bike helmet.
Correctly Fit your Helmet
Apply the 2v2 rule.
- 2 – the helmet should sit level on the head. The front of the helmet should sit no more than 2 finger breadths above the eyebrows.
- v – the side straps make a V with the adjustable clip forming the bottom of the V just below the ear lobe.
- 2 – you should be able to get a maximum of 2 fingers under the chin strap when fastened. The straps should not be twisted. You should definitely not be able to pull the chin strap up and over the chin.
A lot of helmets come with the capacity to tighten at the back of the head (this is known as the rear or occipital fastener/stabiliser). The adjustable mechanisms used for tightening will vary between helmets. Whatever the mechanism this aids in getting the helmet to fit snuggly to our different sized and shaped heads. Use in conjunction with the straps to get a snug fit to your head.
Use the 2V2 Rule.
Wriggle Test
Now we are going to wriggle the helmet to make sure there is only a little movement. Place the palm of your hand on the front of the helmet, push up and backward to see if you can expose the forehead. Repeat at the back pushing up and forward. Also repeat on each side of the helmet to check for side to side movement. If the helmet has a lot of movement (more than 2cm) consider if you have everything adjusted correctly as described above or whether the helmet is the correct size. Your helmet needs to stay on and over your head during an impact. Often there may be more than one impact in an accident e.g. impact into a car and onto the road.
Wriggle test
Pre – ride Bike Helmet Check
Great, finished your set up? Now a quick pre-ride check , yes a helmet check that you do before you goRide.
- is it level – around the head, no tilting
- is it low – sitting just above the eyebrows
- is it snug – does it fit snug not tight on your head, are the v clips snug below your ears and is the chin strap snug under your chin
- is it stable – use the palm of your hand to check forward, backward, side to side movement, the movement should be no greater than 2cm
LEVEL, LOW, SNUG, STABLE
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