Should a helmet be replaced after crash.

brians947

Im just curious to find out if a helmet should be replaced after a crash. The wife had a fall and she was wearing my helmet. Thank god she was as she smacked her head of the curb snapping of the small visor and leaving a dint in it. Should the helmet be replaced.

Hermy

I think best practice would be to replace the helmet but it might not be always necessary.

Bikerbhoy

Without doubt YES...... it has done its job once thank god and therefore the standard of protection in the future may be compromised although it may not be visible or obvious

doozerie

It's a contentious topic and there is no easy answer. If it looks visibly damaged then certainly it is advisable to replace it - but defining "damaged" is not easy and a dent on the outer shell might not qualify. If it doesn't show any signs of damage then it might be fine, or it might not be fine. What the helmet is supposed to do is compress to absorb the shock of impact and having compressed once it then won't offer the same protection next time round. You'd expect signs of compression of polystyrene to be visible, but it might not be (I certainly don't know enough about the properties of polystyrene to know whether signs of compression should always be visible).

There is a lot of hysteria around helmets, with some people claiming that even if you drop an helmet a short distance onto a floor that it *must* be replaced. Some of the arguments seems ridiculous to me - I've bumped my helmeted head against door frames with more force than an empty helmet hitting a floor, for example (I don't make a habit of it, in case you were wondering). However, having said all of that, if in doubt and you are worried about using it again then the answer is that you should replace it.

stephendoyle

Yes

Stark

doozerie wrote:

I've bumped my helmeted head against door frames with more force than an empty helmet hitting a floor, for example (I don't make a habit of it, in case you were wondering).

Thank god you were wearing a helmet, you could be dead! :eek:

-Chris-

Yes

Dr.Millah

i need to replace my own lid actually, which shops in dublin have a good stock? would like to try on a few before buying obviously.

fran oconnor

Dr.Millah wrote: »

i need to replace my own lid actually, which shops in dublin have a good stock? would like to try on a few before buying obviously.

I find wheelworx to have a great range.

im invisible

give that one to the wife, and get a new one for yourself...

Lemag

Personally, if I couldn't see any signs of proper damage I wouldn't bother with a replacement. However, if getting a new one would give yourself and the wife great peace of mind then get a new one.

furiousox

Dr.Millah wrote: »

i need to replace my own lid actually, which shops in dublin have a good stock? would like to try on a few before buying obviously.

Cycle Superstore

brayblue24

Yes

RobFowl

Depends TBH
Afraid it's a judgement call you'll have to make.
If in doubt change it.