neale/homepage
neale
/
homepage
1
0
Fork 0
Code Pull Requests Actions Activity

footnote on helmets

This commit is contained in:
Neale Pickett 2015-03-12 18:01:03 +00:00
parent 9837fd0465
commit a7810cfbc1
1 changed files with 21 additions and 0 deletions
Show Stats Download Patch File Download Diff File Expand all files Collapse all files

21
papers/derby-helmet.mdwn
View File

@ -56,3 +56,24 @@ You should get a multi-impact helmet certified to CPSC and ASTM F-1492-08.
You should never get a hardhat. Unfortunately, most new skaters buy a package deal that includes a hardhat, starting out with the crappiest helmet they can get at a time when they're most likely to hit their head. I managed, after two years of nagging, to convince my league to recommend new skaters get a multi-impact when they start out, and, surprise, they all do. Maybe other leagues could do this too. You should never get a hardhat. Unfortunately, most new skaters buy a package deal that includes a hardhat, starting out with the crappiest helmet they can get at a time when they're most likely to hit their head. I managed, after two years of nagging, to convince my league to recommend new skaters get a multi-impact when they start out, and, surprise, they all do. Maybe other leagues could do this too.
Beyond those two certifications for multi-impact helmets, the rest is entirely up to skater preference. I'm a fan of Nutcase, because they were the first company to popularize non-pretentious bike helmets for commuters, but there are a whole lot of manfacturers, colors, and features to choose from. Rest assured that if they meet these standards, you're getting the same protection, regardless of color, style, or other features. Beyond those two certifications for multi-impact helmets, the rest is entirely up to skater preference. I'm a fan of Nutcase, because they were the first company to popularize non-pretentious bike helmets for commuters, but there are a whole lot of manfacturers, colors, and features to choose from. Rest assured that if they meet these standards, you're getting the same protection, regardless of color, style, or other features.
A Final Note
------------
Humanity is just beginning to understand how the head actually works in
crashes. I wrote this in 2014, updated it in 2015, and we still don't have
reliable data about the MIPS liners.
You'll notice that the tests done on these helmets involve dropping it
straight down. That is hardly ever how people hit their heads, unless
maybe they're diving into an empty pool.
I expect that our current testing standards will eventually prove to be
primitive and laughably unrepresentative of how head injuries occur.
As we get better information about how heads/brains are injured in falls,
we'll get better ways to protect them. For now, the best you can do is
the multi-impact helmets, which aren't too much more sophisticated than
the hardhats they were bred from. But they are an improvement!
Especially in Derby, you are going to be falling a lot. Get the best
brain-protection technology currently available, okay?