Ever because the creation of the full-face helmet again within the Nineteen Sixties, there was a debate about whether or not it’s the simplest type of head safety. Certainly, some observers recommend helmets, usually, might contribute to sure accidents, resembling concussions and neck trauma. There may be additionally an argument that post-crash airway administration may be tougher on a rider sporting a full-face bike helmet as a result of efficiency of CPR or airway clearance is required, and helmet removing might danger worsening cervical backbone damage if finished improperly. Others argue that full-face helmets are inconvenient, too heavy, too restrictive, or too sizzling.
The counterpoint is that helmet design improvements can be found to counter these issues. For instance, helmets that provide full-face protection, however have flip-up or detachable chin bars as a substitute of one-piece building, eradicate the necessity to take away the helmet for emergencies. Different choices are additionally obtainable, resembling detachable cheek pads within the helmet to permit a lot simpler helmet removing—a standard characteristic of premium bike helmets.
The dearth of goal information is a part of the issue with sorting truth from fiction concerning this concern. There was one examine particularly that will assist: Are full-face helmets the simplest in stopping head and neck damage in bike accidents? A meta-analysis. It was printed in Could 2020 and authored by Soramon Chaichan and 13 associates. Many of the authors, together with Chaichan, are from the School of Medication at Khon Kaen College in Thailand, which is rated within the high 5 p.c of universities on the planet by QS World College Rankings.
The examine makes use of crash incident and end result information to evaluate the effectiveness of full-face, open-face (three-quarters protection), and half-helmets based mostly on information from Taiwan (2011 and 2015), Malaysia (2014), Japan (2004), and Brazil (two unbiased 2014 research). The authors reviewed 702 research and located six that certified for inclusion within the evaluation. The six chosen research included 6,529 contributors.
As a result of this meta-analysis included information from 4 nations and the inspiration research it’s based mostly on had some variations in information extraction and definitions of accidents, some extent of interpretation is required within the end result information. Additionally, the precise efficiency high quality and security certification of the helmets concerned in every incident is unknown, and there’s no indication of how most of the full-face helmets had been modular designs or fashions with a detachable chin bar. Additionally, the mechanism of damage and circumstances of every accident throughout 6,529 incidents introduce an almost infinite variety of variables that will have an effect on the outcomes.
Regardless of these information limitations, this examine’s findings present new insights into an outdated query. The findings quantify, usually phrases, the variations within the effectiveness of three acquainted helmet sorts. Often, discussions about helmet execs and cons amongst helmet customers revolve round anecdotes or uncommon one-off circumstances. The Khon Kaen College examine permits a extra goal, quantitative evaluation. Research the place helmet kind and use information was not documented had been excluded.
Concerning neck accidents and helmet use, the College of Wisconsin not too long ago accomplished a big examine. It confirmed that helmets don’t trigger or contribute to neck accidents. Moreover, helmeted riders suffered considerably fewer neck accidents on account of crashes than riders not utilizing a helmet. The Khon Kaen College examine discovered that head accidents, at 41.4 p.c, had been the most typical kind of damage amongst autopsied bike crash victims.
This summarizes the Khon Kaen College examine outcomes: “The principle discovering of this evaluate is that full-face helmets had been higher than different forms of helmet at stopping head and cervical sorts of damage in bike accidents. The chance of head and cervical accidents for riders who used full-face helmets was 64 p.c decrease in contrast with those that used half-coverage helmets, 36 p.c decrease than in those that used open helmets, and 57 p.c decrease when put next with each those that used half-coverage helmets and people who used open helmets.”
On the finish of the day, the selection of which helmet model with which set of options, and even whether or not to put on a helmet in any respect (relying on relevant legal guidelines) is as much as every rider. Nevertheless, the info reveals {that a} full-face bike helmet cuts the chance of head and cervical accidents by over half in comparison with open-face and half-helmets.
