Helmet SHOCKER
41% of bikers’ lids ‘need to be replaced’
It’s a claim that will shock nearly 400,000 motorcyclists in the UK, but according to industry experts a massive FOUR in TEN bikers out on the road right now are using helmets that need replacing.
Close to 400,000 UK motorcyclists are wearing crash helmets that ‘need to be replaced’, according to industry experts and new figures from insurance company Carole Nash.
Based on the responses of over 1000 active UK riders, the survey data commissioned by the motorbike insurance broker shows that 41% of the nation’s bikers are wearing helmets that have been in use for five or more years.
The consensus across helmet manufacturers and independent safety experts, like the Snell Foundation, is that bikers should replace their lids every five years.
This is due to degradation in the glues and resins used in production, along with normal wear and tear, that reduces the performance of seemingly undamaged helmets.
However, the data shows a startling disconnect between UK riders and this safety advice.
A massive six in ten (62%) motorcyclists said that they wouldn’t buy a replacement helmet unless they had been involved in an accident, with an additional one in five (22%) stating that they would not buy another while their current one still ‘looked fine’.
The research also shows six out of ten bikers would continue to use their lid after having dropped it, risking the possibility that it has suffered internal damage that cannot be seen.
Pete Horton, an online product supervisor for over ten years, comes into contact with thousands of bikers each year and emphasises the importance of heeding this guidance. He said: “As the single most important piece of safety equipment a biker wears, it’s obviously vital a helmet’s integrity isn’t compromised in any way to ensure it can provide as much protection as possible. Due to the inevitable degradation of the materials used in their construction, we recommend that helmets be replaced after five years of use.”
The data also revealed that, while nearly half (45%) of bikers will initially spend more than £200 to purchase a safe lid, safety is being compromised when choosing the style of helmet.
Four in ten (38%) motorcyclists said they chose a fashionable – but hard to spot – black as their helmet colour, ahead of more visible options such as blue (14%) and yellow (6%).
Rebecca Donohue, head of marketing at Carole Nash said: “While it’s encouraging to see that bikers are making an initial investment in their lids, we urge them to not see this as a onetime expense. While the costs of a replacement may feel eye watering, why run the risk of the worst happening? With premium manufacturers like Arai offering free helmet checks to their customers, we would even recommend bikers who have just dropped their helmets to get them checked out. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”