DETROIT – Bicycle helmets sold in the United States have to meet government safety standards.
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) teamed up with researchers at the Helmet Lab at Virginia Tech.
They ran a test that replicated various impact scenarios for bike crashes, including helmets hitting the ground at an angle. The researchers then came up with a star-rating system for the helmets.
"To reduce the risk of concussion, you need to both reduce the linear forces acting on the head, as well as the rotational motion of the head," said David Zuby, of the IIHS.
In total, 30 helmets were tested. Of those, 24 scored a rating of "good" or "very good." Only four received the highest safety rating of five stars.
The prices varied on the helmets as well. The Bontrager Ballista earned five stars and costs $200. The Specialized Chamonix costs $75 and also scored a five-star rating.
Road-style helmets performed better than urban-style helmets.
Most of the helmets can be found at bike shops and online.
Below is the list of helmets, categorized by rating.
Best available -- five stars
- Bontrager Ballista MIPS
- Garneau Raid MIPS
- Bell Stratus MIPS
- Specialized Chamonix MIPS
Very good -- four stars
- Scott ARX Plus MIPS
- Bontrager Quantum MIPS
- Specialized Prevail II
- Smith Overtake
- Giro Savant
- Bell Draft MIPS
- POC Octal
- Giro Foray MIPS
- Giro Synthe
- Giro Sutton MIPS
- Specialized Evade II
- Garneau Le Tour II
Good -- three stars
- Triple 8 Dual Certified MIPS
- Bell Reflex
- Bontrager Solstice
- Bern Brentwood
- Bell Division
- Schwinn Thrasher
- Giro Revel
- Schwinn Flash
- Kali City
- Nutcase Street
- Specialized Centro
- Bontrager Electra
Adequate -- two stars
- Lazer Genesis
- Bern Watts
No helmets were rated marginal (one star) or not recommended (zero stars).