If you are really concerned about protecting your head while out biking, you may want to re-consider your thought process if you think that any helmet will do. While the fit and look of a helmet can be very important, it turns out that the durability of a helmet should also be considered. This is because the market has been infiltrated by counterfeit helmets that don’t meet safety standards and may not protect you from a catastrophic injury.
There are government regulations for bike helmets, but counterfeit helmets have been getting around those requirements by having logos that relate to meeting European standards. An indicator of a fake helmet will be missing a sticker that the helmet meets the standards of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Most counterfeit helmets seized by the government are from shipments coming in internationally.
In 2016, 835 people were killed in crashes with vehicles across the United States while riding a bike. A little over half of those people were not wearing helmets.
How can you tell a helmet is fake?
Fake helmets will often look very similar to a legitimate helmet. The differences can be found in the details. Many of the straps and fitting mechanisms of a fake helmet are made cheaply, often with plastic parts that will not hold very well. The foam on the inside of a fake helmet is usually thinner and will lack an internal skeleton on the inside of the helmet that helps keep it together during a strong impact. Missing these items can make a fake helmet up to 45 grams lighter that an authentic helmet.
The cost of a fake bike helmet
The easiest way you may know you are about to purchase a fake helmet is that you are not paying very much for it. While real helmets can go for as much as $200 to $250, many times you can find fake helmets online for under $50. You should be vigilant while purchasing a helmet, merchants may sell the helmet at a higher cost to fool consumers into thinking they are buying a legitimate helmet.
When it comes to bicycle helmets, the real cost of wearing a fake helmet might just be your life. You should protect yourself the best you can with safety matters in all aspects of biking, from the bike itself, to the equipment to the laws of the road.
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