In the spring of 1999, I was in the 6th grade. After getting home from school one night, my dad and I decided we were going to go for a bike ride. It was a rather warm day so I was wearing shorts and a tank top. I remember throwing a fit because it was “too hot to wear my bicycle helmet”. I whined and complained about it as we were getting ready but, in the end, my dad simply replied, “You either wear your helmet or we aren’t going.” In hindsight, this was a parenting WIN. Way to go Dad!
Growing up, we lived on a gravel road about 15 minutes outside of town. Our house was at the top of a large hill that curved to the right at the bottom. This hill would be the very beginning of our bike ride. It started off normal enough; we began by coasting down the hill that I had ridden at least 20 times before. But as I approached the curve near the bottom, I hit a loose patch of gravel. My handlebars begin to swerve from side to side as I cried out, “Daaaadddddyyy!!!” The next thing I remember, I was disoriented on the ground. I had abrasions all over: my chin, hands, both elbows, chest, knees. I was crying and dripping blood onto the fresh gravel.
My dad took off up the hill on his bike to get the truck. Once we got to the Emergency Room, the first question they asked us was, “Were you wearing a helmet?” It was only then that we looked down and realized the huge crack in my helmet… the crack that would have been my head. Over the next few hours, the doctors began cleaning my wounds. Some areas were easier to clean than others. My left elbow had taken quite a beating – I had about a quarter-sized piece of gravel embedded in it. For this area, they injected a numbing medicine and used a wire brush to scrub all the tiny rocks out.
It took me about a week to recover from this whole ordeal. I waddled around like a penguin with all the bandages and spent lots of time soaking in warm baths to keep my wounds from getting infected. In the end, this is a good story to tell as I had no long-term damage. HOWEVER, had I not been wearing my helmet, this could have been a completely different story. THIS is the reason that my family and I will always wear our helmets… and you should too.
I recently stopped by a local bike shop to get my two oldest boys fitted for new helmets. Their old ones were getting too small and needed replacing. Here are a few helmet fitting tips they gave me:
- Helmets should be replaced every 5 years. The material can degrade which makes them less effective over time.
- Chin straps should be tight enough to fit one adult finger between the chin and the strap. The V of the strap should sit under each ear.
- Helmets should fit well enough that the interior padding sits on the head.
- The helmet should not be able to move at all on impact. Try moving the helmet backwards and forwards to determine if yours is tight enough. A helmet that is too loose will not protect you.
- As a mom will younger kids, I love the helmets that come with the adjustable knobs at the back. They make it so easy to tighten and will grow with the child for a couple years before they need the next size up.
- All family members should wear helmets, even kids riding in bike trailers. Helmets come in lots of sizes. Everyone can find one that fits!
Other than my personal experience of why helmets are so important, I am NOT a bicycle helmet expert. So be sure to find a quality bike shop to help fit yourself and your kids with a helmet before riding your bike this summer… it will 100% be a parenting WIN!
