On March 11, the Bureau of Citizenship, Culture and Sports of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government released a report on “Wearing and Safe Use of Bicycle Helmets” in response to the revision of the Road Traffic Law to make the wearing of helmets while riding a bicycle mandatory.
The report surveyed 2016 people who live in Tokyo and use bicycles at least once a week. About 40% of all respondents had made or nearly made contact, collided, or fallen over in the past five years. Of those, 86.1% were not wearing helmets.
The results of the verification of the safety of commercial helmets are also shown in a video, which summarizes the stress on the skull and the pressure on the brain in two cases: “hitting the side of the head against the curb in a single fall” and “hitting each other’s heads in a bicycle collision” in a simulated video.
The video also shows the performance difference between helmets marketed for bicycles and those that are not (shock-absorbing capacity), and that repeated impacts can damage the shell and internal liner, resulting in reduced performance.
Based on the above, the report cites as issues “the need to promote the wearing of helmets,” “the realization of helmets that people want to wear,” “the development of an environment that facilitates wearing such as folding helmets and storage in vehicles,” and “public awareness of proper usage”.
© Source travel watch