Posted in: | Feb 24,2019
A bicycle helmet is the only thing standing between you and serious brain injuries in the event of an accident. However, merely wearing a helmet may be enough. Your helmet needs to be a certified, well-designed and well-manufactured helmet that can meet safety standards in order for it to protect your head in the event of an accident.
According to a report by NPR, many bicyclists unknowingly buy spurious, counterfeit helmets mistaking them for the real deal. The online market is flooded with counterfeit helmets, most of them available on sites like eBay.
Cheaper counterfeits are available at a lower price, but are not designed to withstand impact in the event of an accident. Many of these fakes come with stickers claiming that they conform to European safety and manufacturing standards, but have no such certification from US agencies. The bicycle helmet that you purchase is a critically important piece of safety equipment, and must be certified by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
If you’re planning on buying a helmet, there are things that you can do to check if the product is genuine and can protect your skull during an accident. Check how heavy it is. On average, counterfeit helmets tend to be about 45 grams lighter than original helmets. A fake is also made of cheap and flimsy plastic that is unable to withstand great force or pressure, and cracks upon impact.
A good-quality, genuine helmet can cost around $200 and is a sound safety investment to make. Counterfeit helmets retail on sites like eBay for as low as $50. These counterfeits carry the name tags of reputed bicycle helmet manufacturers, enabling them to dupe customers. Sometimes, there isn’t a big price difference between fake helmets and the original ones, so customers are even more easily fooled.
In order to avoid buying an unsafe counterfeit helmet that is unlikely to offer any protection during an accident, buy your helmet from legitimate or authorized dealers only.
The Indianapolis bicycle accident lawyers at Montross Miller represent persons injured in bicycle accidents in the Indianapolis region and across the state of Indiana. Call us to discuss if you have a legal claim for damages after an accident.
