An estimated 81,000 people went to U.S. emergency rooms for bike-related head
injuries in 2015, the most for any sport, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA). And that doesn’t include those who went to private doctors or
didn’t seek treatment. Sadly, in 2016, about 840 cyclists perished in accidents involving
motor vehicles, the most since 1991, according to NHTSA. A growing body of research
is finding a specific design in bike helmets, known as MIPS can greatly reduce the risk
of concussion after a cycling accident.
Bloomberg Business interviewed David Zuby to learn about the growing body of
research on specific types of helmets that reduce risk of head injury in sports and
biking. Mr. Zuby, an avid cyclist who is executive vice president and chief research
officer at the insurance institute, helped get the study started two years ago as he saw
the growth in deaths and injuries. “{At the time, }there wasn’t a lot of information about
which helmets offer the most protection,” Zuby said. “We went to Virginia Tech because
they had been doing star ratings of football helmets for a number of years and had just
started doing the same thing for hockey helmets.”
Researchers, including Rowson, spent months studying how cyclists were most likely to
strike their heads in crashes and then developed a dozen test scenarios to strengthen
the reliability of their findings. They tested several different angles of blows as well as
direct hits and compared strikes on different parts of helmets.
To simulate how a helmet would hold up upon hitting asphalt, they added sandpaper to
the metal structures on which they banged the heads of their state-of-the-art crash test
Dummies.
One of the key findings is that a relatively new technology known as Multi-Directional
Impact Protection System, or MIPS, can lessen the risk of concussion. MIPS-equipped
helmets have an inner layer that allows the head to slide and twist slightly in an impact,
lessening the forces that cause trauma.
Of the four helmets awarded Virginia Tech’s top five-star rating, all had the MIPS
technology. Urban-style helmets, which have been growing in popularity and look more
flat such as those used for skiing or skateboarding, didn’t perform as well. They tended
to have a thinner layer of the foam that compresses in an impact, Rowson. Price also
didn’t seem to play much of a role in the level of protection, the study found. The
Bontrager Ballista MIPS, which lists for about $200, and the Specialized Chamonix
MIPS, about $75, each earned five stars.
Professor at Virginia Tech Stefan Duma had this to say about design of bike helmets in
light of their safety research findings, Now companies are designing for the entire range
of head impacts. In order to get a five-star rating, you have to do well with the big hit,
but you also have to do well with the medium and low hit. There’s a lot of science that
says it’s not only the 100-G impact, it’s the 60-G and the 40-G. In order to do well in the
five-star, you have to take that 100-G and make it 50, and you have take the 50-G and
make that 25. So you have to be able to reduce acceleration across the range of energy
levels. It’s a cumulative issue that we’re addressing. That’s the big challenge and that’s
the big step forward.
According to this Virginia Tech bike helmet research, models to avoid in bike helmets
include The Lazer Genesis and the Bern Watts. Both of these received the lowest
ratings, two stars or “adequate.” The model with the highest score would allow a
theoretical risk of concussion 10.9 percent of the time, compared with 25.3 percent for
the worst, Rowson said. If you have a question or concern about a loved one who was a
victim of an accident or medical malpractice call an attorney, like a bicycle accident lawyer, today.