The Safest Riding Helmets

Helmets should be worn when riding bicycles, horses and motorcycles to protect the rider's head in the event of an accident. As these different activities are done from different heights and at different speeds, the design of these helmets vary based on how they are meant to protect a rider's head. Much of this safety also depends on how wearing a helmet doesn't distract the rider, causing an accident.

  1. Bike Helmets

    • Bicycle helmets are designed to prevent small accidents from producing a serious injury. The safest helmets have a seal of approval on them from a number of different organizations who test the safety of the wide number of bike helmets available. Three organizations do the most complete safety tests, according to the Mayo Clinic: the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the Snell Memorial Foundation.

    Horse Riding Helmets

    • Because riders are sitting four to six feet high and often traveling at high speeds, a particular type of helmet is needed. Horse riding helmets must first and foremost be hard to withstand a fall or bucking from atop a horse. These helmets all have thick chin straps and small visors which sit above the rider's eyes, to shade them from being blinded by the sun. In show horseback riding, the look of these helmets also plays a part in which ones are worn, as the elegant look of a rider is important.

    Motorcycle Helmets

    • Motorcycle helmets are more complexly designed then any other helmets, as they have to withstand impact at high speeds. They are heavier and have thicker pieces of plastic or metal within them, as well as padding. There are three kinds of motorcycle helmets, ranging from half helmets, which just cover the top of the head, three-quarter helmets, which cover everything but the face, and full-face helmets. The safest motorcycle helmet is the full-face helmet, as it protects all parts of the head as well as the face and keeps debris in the air from blinding the rider.