3 Reasons You Should Always Wear a Helmet When Riding
Riding a motorcycle is the preferred transportation method for many people. After all, there’s nothing quite like hitting the open road, being one with your bike and nature, and feeling the breeze hit you from all angles. You feel in control, confident, and it’s one of your favorite hobbies, let alone an ideal way to get from point A to point B.
With that said, wearing a helmet is always essential, whether you’re driving 100-plus miles or taking a short drive to the store.
Here are three reasons why you should always wear a helmet when riding, outside of it being the law in many states.
Protecting you from the elements
Wearing a helmet can protect you in a number of different ways. For example, it can protect you from road debris that pops up uncontrollably, which could harm your driving abilities or cause injury. In a less extreme case, a helmet can help to keep dust out of your eyes and ensure safety for you and other drivers. They don’t make windshield wipers for your eyes.
A helmet can also keep you warm in the winter if you ride a motorcycle year-round. Not to mention, it can keep rain or snow out of your face. A helmet can also keep out wind and reduce the likelihood of sunburn because it’s worn on your head and can act as a hat to shield your eyes and face.
Motorcycle helmets aren’t only useful for crashes — they can protect you from all of the elements that might cross your path on the road.
Reduce the risk of a head injury
This is the No. 1 reason why you should wear a helmet — to reduce the risk of a head injury.
The facts speak for themselves…
According to the CDC, an estimated 1,859 lives were saved in 2016 because of motorcycle helmets, and 802 more lives could have been saved if helmets were worn by all riders.
Motorcycle helmets not only reduce the risk of head injury by 69 percent, but they reduce the risk of death by 37 percent.
We don’t bring up these numbers to scare people — we bring them up because they’re the facts that show how essential helmets are for riders.
It makes you easier to see
Motorcycle helmets aren’t solely for the benefit of the rider — they’re also beneficial for everyone on the road as they can make riders more visible for other drivers.
Simply put, motorcycles are harder to see on the road than other vehicles. They not only hide in blind spots, but they’re smaller. Helmets can increase your mass and many have reflective material on them, which makes riders stand out more.
You might be the best driver on the road, but everyone makes mistakes, not to mention that it’s other drivers you have to worry about.
With cars and trucks, a fender bender doesn’t cause any damage or harm. However, because a motorcycle is smaller than cars and trucks, this type of accident can be much more serious for motorcyclists. A small bump, let alone a bad collision, could be fatal.
If you’re in the market for the best motorcycle helmets, then we encourage you to check out Chaparral Motorsports’ products as they’re one of the top motorcycle parts retailers in the country. A quality motorcycle helmet is invaluable when riding.
A motorcyclist needs to take extra precautions as opposed to other types of vehicles because of the nature of riders being out in the open and not secure. One measure they can and should take every time is wearing a motorcycle helmet.
