Global Sports: Bike Helmets And Other Necessary Gear You Should Wear While Bike Riding

Monday, September 26, 2011

Bike Helmets And Other Necessary Gear You Should Wear While Bike Riding

By Micah Ferguson


Biking is a sport that is enjoyed not only by professionals but everybody. The spring breeze and the gentle sun and trees motivate individuals to get off the couch and go cycling, whether for a walk around the neighborhood, a quick trip to the cafeteria, resolution or as an alternative mode of transportation when going to work. Fun and safety in biking works hand in hand and thus, bikers need to know the rules and protect themselves through the use a number or road safety gears such as road bike helmets, gloves, mouth guards, etc.

Head injuries leading to long term disabilities often result from biking accidents. In the past years, studies showed that the number of bicycle related injuries around the world has increased. In the UK alone, the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on UK roads has increased by 11% in the past three years, as reported by the Department of Transport. As such, it is important to always put on protective gears-regardless of one's skill or confidence level-to protective the body's vital areas when biking.

One of the most important safety gears when biking are road bike helmets. Helmets are a must-wear when biking regardless of the distance of the trip-whether it is a short ride to a corner street store to purchase supplies or a long one to the mountains or to work. Fabricated with a thin shell on the inside and a thick foam on the outside, road bike helmets are gears designed to protect the head should a biker accidentally fall. Cushioning the head from blows during an accidental fall, the bike helmet's thick foam usually saves the brain while the thin shell functions to keep the foam in one piece and prevent the neck from getting jerked by allowing the head to skid on the street.

Head injury can mean a brain injury which is why it is so important that cyclist wear their road bike helmets always. It does not mean reckless but is a means to provide some protection for your face, head, and brain in case you fall down. Bicycle helmets are said to reduce the risk of head injury by as much as 85% and reduce the risk of brain injury by as much as 88%.

Aside from road bike helmets, other must have biking safety gears are gloves, mouth guards, and active lights. Gloves are biking safety gears designed to protect the palms of the hands especially when accidentally falling on pavements. Also, these protective items are also aimed at protecting the hands from compression stress from the handlebars during long bike rides. Mouth guards or jaw-joint protectors are another safety gears that should be worn by bikers. These gears help prevent blows to the chin during accidents by stabilizing the jaw. Finally are active lights which are especially important for bikers riding their bikes during the night.

Offering good protection during accidents, biking safety gears such as road bike helmets are indeed must-wear when practicing said sport. Nonetheless, no safety gear can protect a reckless biker. As such, riding safely by obeying rules is the still the safest way to stay safe and prevent accidents while biking.




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