Motorcycles often have more risk of danger than almost any other type of motor vehicle, which motorcyclists have a strong awareness of. Of course, you can take steps to mitigate some of the dangers you potentially face, such as wearing protective gear.
Helmets serve as the most important protective gear you could own, as well as one of the tools that can spare your life in the event of a crash. But how exactly do they work?
The purpose of the interior and exterior
The National Library of Medicine discusses ways that helmets protect your skull from potential injury. Helmets sit on and around the skull in a way that they essentially act as a secondary skull, which the force of a crash must break before reaching your actual skull.
Inside a helmet, padding provides ample cushion and protection against bouncing, keeping your head firmly in place even after taking a hit. The outer, hard layer acts in the same way the skull does, providing an encasing to protect the more vulnerable contents within.
The importance of fit
Of course, this means the fit is of crucial importance when it comes to helmet safety. If your helmet is too loose, it will not sit on your head properly in the event of a crash, which can result in your actual skull taking some damage when it should not have.
If it is too tight, it can feel uncomfortable, which may discourage riders from wearing it. It can also create a choking sensation and can impede your flow of oxygen if it tightens or gets tangled in a crash. Thus, only a helmet of the right fit can provide maximum safety benefits.
Life in California has many perks, and one of them is the favorable weather that makes it easy for residents to move about on foot. Yet, pedestrian deaths are rising across California and the nation, and the growing popularity of sport utility vehicles is contributing to the uptick.
According to J.D. Power, SUVs are typically taller and heavier than typical sedans. They also have higher leading edges. This enhances risks for those traveling on foot because it means the brunt of the force of the SUV strikes them higher up on their bodies than a traditional car would.
SUV popularity
As of 2009, SUVs only accounted for about a fifth of all vehicles out on U.S. roads. By the summer of 2020, SUV sales accounted for 70% of all new cars sold across the nation. As SUV sales increased, the number of pedestrian fatalities increased alongside them.
SUV-on-pedestrian crash statistics
Over the past 10 years, the number of pedestrians dying in crashes increased steadily year after year, rising a total of 53% within that span. Nowadays, car-on-pedestrian wrecks cause more than a fifth of all U.S. traffic deaths, and the majority of those involve SUVs. Research also shows that, when SUVs hit pedestrians when traveling at above 19 mph, those pedestrians are much more likely to suffer a serious injury than they would be if struck by a standard passenger car moving at the same speed. When SUVs move at 40 mph and hit pedestrians, 100% of those hit die.
Some automakers who fabricate SUVs are making moves to change their body styles to make them less of a threat to pedestrians. However, these modifications have yet to have a positive impact on pedestrian death rates.
