Helmet Safety
CHKD Classes and Events
Bike helmets can help protect your child from a serious brain or head injury. The information in this handout will help you learn what to look for, and what to avoid, when picking out your child’s helmet.
Start with the Right Size
Bring the Bike Rider
Bring your child with you when buying a new helmet to ensure a good fit.
Head Size
To find out the size of your child’s head, wrap a soft tape measure around their head, just above their eyebrows and ears. Make sure the tape measure stays level from front to back. (If you don’t have a soft tape measure, you can use a string and then measure it against a ruler.)
Sizes Will Vary
Helmet sizes can vary from one brand to another, so it’s important to check size charts to find the helmet that matches your child’s head measurements. Then, be sure to try them on.
Get a Good Fit
General Fit
The helmet should fit snugly all around, with no spaces between the foam and bike rider’s head.
Ask
Ask your child how the helmet feels on their head. While it needs to have a snug fit, a helmet that is too tight can cause headaches.
Hairstyle
Bike helmets are available for riders with long hair. Your child should try on the helmet with the hairstyle they will wear while bike riding. Helmet fit can change if your child’s hairstyle changes. For example, a long-haired bike rider who gets a very short haircut may need to adjust the fit of the helmet.
Adjustments
Some bike helmets have removable padding or a universal fit ring that can be adjusted to get the best fit.
Coverage
A bike helmet should not sit too high or too low on the rider’s head. To check, make sure the bottom of the pad inside the front of the helmet is two finger widths above the bike rider’s eyebrows. The back of the helmet should not touch the top of the bike rider’s neck.
Vision
Make sure you can see your child’s eyes, and that they can see straight forward and side to side.
Side Straps
The side straps should make a “V” shape under, and slightly in front of, the bike rider’s ears.
Chin Straps
The chin strap should be centered under the bike rider’s chin, and fit snugly so that no more than one finger fits between the chin and the strap. Tell your child to open their mouth wide... big yawn! The helmet should pull down on their head. If not, the chin strap needs to be tighter. If needed, you can pull the straps from the back of the helmet to adjust the chin straps. Once the chin strap is fastened, the helmet should not move in any direction, back to front or side to side.
Follow the 2V1 Rule to make sure your helmet fits right!
2 Fingers above your eyebrows
Straps form a V under your ears
1 Finger between strap and chin
Take Care of the Helmet
Check for Damage
DO NOT allow your bike rider to use a cracked or broken helmet, or a helmet that is missing any padding or parts.
Cleaning
Clean the helmet often, inside and out, with warm water and mild detergent. DO NOT soak any part of the helmet, put it close to high heat, or use strong cleaners.
Protect
DO NOT let anyone sit or lean on the helmet.
Storage
DO NOT store a bike helmet in a car. The helmet should be stored in a room that does not get too hot or too cold, and where the helmet is away from direct sunlight.
Decoration
DO NOT decorate (paint or put stickers on) the helmet without checking with the manufacturer, as this may affect the safety of the helmet. This information may also be found on the instructions label or on the manufacturer’s website.
Look for the Labels
Look for a bike helmet with these labels:
- The date of manufacture. This information will be helpful in case the helmet is recalled.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)¹ certification. This label means that the helmet has been tested for safety, and meets the federal safety standard.
Some bike helmets may also have a label stating that they are ASTM2, Snell3, or ANSI4 certified. These labels let you know that the helmet has also passed the safety tests of these organizations.
When to replace a bike helmet
One Impact
Replace any bike helmet that is damaged or has been involved in a crash. Bike helmets are designed to help protect the rider’s brain and head from one serious impact, such as a fall onto the pavement. You may not be able to see the damage, but the foam materials in the helmet will crush after an impact. That means that the foam in the
helmet won’t be able to help protect the rider’s brain and head from another impact.
Multi-Use Helmets
Some helmet companies have created multi-use helmets for biking, skateboarding, and other activities. Multi-use helmets are designed to withstand multiple minor hits. However, a multi-use helmet MUST be replaced if it has been involved in a serious crash, or if it is damaged. Before your child uses a multi-use helmet for biking, make sure the helmet has a CPSC label certifying it for biking.
This information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To learn more about helmet safety, visit CDC.gov/Headsup/Safety.
¹U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission: CPSC.gov
²American Society for Testing and Materials: ASTM.org
³Snell Memorial Foundation: SMF.org
⁴American National Standards Institute: ANSI.org
Additional Content Reference:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
NHTSA.gov/Bicycles
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to substitute or replace the professional medical advice you receive from your child's physician. The content provided on this page is for informational purposes only, and was not designed to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Please consult your child's physician with any questions or concerns you may have regarding a medical condition.
Reviewed on: 6/2024