How Many Years Should A Helmet Be Used: Is Your Helmet Still Safe? Know the expiry date of the helmet, when the old helmet should be replaced, why ISI mark is necessary and how sunlight, sweat and accidents weaken the safety capability of the helmet.
Helmet Expiry Date: In India, most of the deaths in road accidents are due to serious head injuries. This is why helmet is considered the most important safety protection for two-wheeler riders. But a huge number of people make a big mistake, they keep using the same helmet for years, just because it looks fine from outside.
The reality is that every helmet has an expiry date. Whether it is broken or not, after a period of time its protective capacity starts reducing. In such a situation, the old helmet is no longer fully capable of saving your life at the time of an accident.
For how many years should a helmet be used?
According to experts, the average age of any helmet is considered to be around 3 to 5 years from the date of its manufacturing. After this, the foam and other safety materials used inside the helmet start weakening. While buying a helmet, people often pay attention only to the design and price, whereas the most important thing is its manufacturing date. The date of manufacture must be seen on the sticker inside the helmet.
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Why is only ISI marked helmet necessary?
From the point of view of road safety, one should always buy only that helmet which has the genuine ISI mark. This indicates that the helmet meets Indian safety standards. Many cheap and uncertified helmets are available in the market, but such helmets can only save you from police challan and cannot provide protection in a serious accident. Therefore, compromising on quality while buying a helmet can prove costly.
Even a helmet can be dangerous once it falls.
If your helmet has ever fallen from height or been used in an accident, it should be replaced immediately. Sometimes the exterior appears fine, but the protective foam inside is cracked or weakened. Such helmets lose their ability to absorb shock in the next accident and are unable to provide adequate protection to the head.
By what signs should we understand that it is time to change the helmet?
Helmets gradually weaken over time. There are some signs which should not be ignored:
- Helmet starts feeling loose on head
- Strap or lock gets damaged
- The foam inside feels hard or compressed
- Small cracks appear on the outer shell
- feel uncomfortable wearing a helmet
All these signs show that the helmet is no longer in a position to provide the same protection as before.
Sunlight, sweat and pollution also cause harm
The EPS foam and outer shell used in making helmets start weakening due to constant exposure to sunlight, heat, sweat and pollution. Many people leave the helmet hanging on the mirror of the bike, which can spoil its shape. Experts recommend always keeping the helmet in a cool and dry place. Besides, it is also important to clean its inner part from time to time, so that bad smell and bacteria do not grow due to sweat.
Why can an old helmet become deadly?
The biggest function of a helmet is to reduce the blow to the head during an accident. But as the helmet gets older, its shock absorbing capacity reduces. This is the reason why even a helmet that looks fine from outside can be completely unsafe from inside. Road safety experts believe that helmets should not be considered an expense but an investment in life safety. A good helmet replaced at the right time can save your life in a serious accident.
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