Why Buying a Bike Helmet Online Could Be Dangerous
From ConsumerReports.org
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A proliferation of third-party sellers means that bike helmets that don’t meet federal safety standards can be easily bought online from sites including eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Shein, Temu, and Walmart
You probably care about one thing more than anything else when you’re buying a bike helmet: whether it will protect your head. Though poorly made products are never acceptable, the stakes are particularly high with a safety product like a helmet—which may be all that stands between you and a head injury or worse.
That’s why bike helmets are a carefully regulated product, with mandatory standards set by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) requiring that they adequately protect your skull in case of a crash. To comply with those standards, manufacturers of bike helmets sold in the U.S. must perform a series of tests designed to demonstrate impact protection and retention strap strength. They must also show that the helmet can stay in place and won’t block a cyclist’s peripheral vision. (The CPSC shares this guidance for manufacturers on its website and in PDF form.) To show that helmets have been tested to these standards, manufacturers are required to label helmets with specific, detailed information (see below for the exact requirements).
Photo by Cobi Krumholz on Unsplash
