Are bike helmets becoming safer?

Or are demands for lightness, ventilation and aerodynamics compromising helmet safety?

- Luke Friend

Modern bike helmets typically come with a myriad of claims. Given that many premium options are designed with bike racing in mind, these are often performance related. Helmets purport to be more aerodynamic or better ventilated, and they certainly are getting lighter, but are they any safer?

It's a fair assumption that when you buy a helmet it's fit for purpose. All helmets sold by legitimate retailers will have passed a safety standard for the specific country in which they are sold. In the UK and Europe it's EN 1078, but it hasn't been updated in 25 years.

"Current standards measure helmet protection during impacts against 'rigid' flat or non-flat anvils. Their pass/fail is based on the risk of skull fractures and as a result, current helmets provide good protection against skull fractures and associated focal brain injuries such as contusions," says Dr Mazdak Ghajari, lead researcher of the HEAD Lab project at University College London. The HEAD lab has tested numerous bike helmets and now provides consumers with in-depth data using its helmet impact protection effectiveness rating (hiper).