Does a motorcycle helmet really help protect riders from injury?

One common refrain that motorcyclists often hear is that wearing a helmet can protect them from injury. Motorcycles lack a lot of the inherent protections of a car, and their bodies are likely to hit the ground or a vehicle in a crash. Therefore, the helmet is their first line of the defense.

However, some people wonder how much difference it can make. After all, in a severe crash, a motorcyclist can suffer internal injuries and massive external injuries. A helmet only protects one small part of the body, and they may feel that it doesn’t make that much of a difference.

A helmet does not always prevent injury or death. Motorcyclists still face major risks — more than those faced by drivers in cars, trucks and other vehicles — even when they wear helmets.

That said, studies consistently show that helmets prevent some head injuries, reduce the scope of other injuries, lower the total number of deaths in motorcycle crashes and can keep people safer than riding without one.

No safety equipment is perfect, but the odds of suffering a serious head injury decline when wearing a helmet, and that’s an improvement in safety that all motorcycle riders can appreciate.

Certainly, the best defense against injury is to avoid accidents. However, if you’re a motorcyclist who takes safety seriously, a helmet is a great place to begin. That said, nothing prevents all injuries. Other drivers cause accidents all the time. If you’re the victim in one of these accidents, you must know how to seek compensation for your medical bills and other expenses and damages.