For anyone, safety should be the priority whatever they are doing, even if in skateboarding. One might feel uncomfortable and awkward while wearing the helmet. But one shouldn't stop wearing it because of those feelings because nobody is going to judge. In the case of safety, one must do whatever is necessary. The purpose of wearing a helmet is to protect the head from injuries while skateboarding. Especially for the beginner, the helmet is a must. Because the beginner intends to fall quite a lot. People can hurt their heads seriously, even from an easy fall.
In this article, we will discuss do you have to wear a helmet when riding a skateboard and why in detail.
Do you have to Wear a Helmet when Riding a Skateboard?
Skateboarding is a sport, transport, and entertainment for people. It involves skating on a small board having wheels on the mountain, roads, hilly areas, etc. This game is considered an extreme sport. This game requires some risky ricks and dangerous activities, moves that can harm people. It is easy to get hurt in the head while skating. Head injury is the most common accident in this type of game. One may die or get into a coma, or it can make them disable for a lifetime because of this. That’s why people must wear a helmet while skateboarding.
Skateboarding is a fun game, but if one is jumping on the stairs or humping from a very high place, there is a high chance that they might injure their head seriously. In this situation helmet is the only thing that can save a life. A helmet can reduce the risk of injury even the accident is serious.
In a fall a helmet will absorb the blow and spreads the impact over the entire helmet without affecting the head inside the helmet. The helmet will reduce the risk of serious head injury that can stay a lifetime. Hearing a helmet one will not have a scar if they fall seriously while skating.
Pros of wearing a helmet
If the color of the helmet is bright it will give higher visibility while skating by the road. Other vehicle drivers will notice them it will cause fewer accidents. The helmet ensures even if the driver falls in an accident, they don't hurt their head. As well as a helmet will reduce the recovery time from a major accident. One even can discharge from the hospital within a day and go to their regular life after the accident.
Wearing a helmet can cause problems sometimes. It depends on the situation, on the person, and on the type of helmets, they are using. Mainly in the hot weather wearing a helmet is so uncomfortable because of the sweat and hot. The head and face start burning to wear a helmet in the hot weather. Sometimes people think helmets don't look good, but as one is not going to attend a beauty contest look doesn't matter.
Logically, there are too few cons to wearing a helmet. But the pros are vital. Not everyone knows how to fall safely that can cause less injury. So for the sake of one life, people should always wear a helmet.
Types of Helmet
For skateboarding one must choose the right helmet as there are different helmets for different activities. All of the helmets are created to protect the head from the impacts common in sports. One helmet made for an impact can’t be used in other impact sports. It will not effective. For example, a hockey helmet is good for hockey and ice skating as it is specially made for falls on the ice. A bicycle helmet is designed to absorb blows to the head when falling. Also, a ski helmet is designed for side impacts that can is used while riding a bicycle. In addition, a multi-sport helmet is good for both bicycles and motorcycles. As well as for skateboarding, the helmet is designed to absorb the blow and spread it all over the helmet and this task can’t be done by the ski helmet.
Based on the impacts there are three different helmets. Those are,
- Single impact
- These category helmets protect the head against one impact in sports. It needs to be replaced after a crash or head hit. Even if one can’t see the damage, they must need to replace it after a crash.
- Multiple impacts
- To protect the head from more than one impact this type of helmet ae designed. One must replace the helmet if there is any damage in the helmet.
- Multi-sport
- Normally, one can use this type of helmet in a different sport. Like one multi-sport helmet can be used on both bicycles and motorcycles. But one needs to see the manufacturing level before buying that for which types of sport the helmet is for.
Multi-impact helmets are for skateboarding because these types of the helmet can absorb multiple impacts. However, one must replace the old helmet with a new one if there is any kind of damage to the helmet body.
Choose Your Helmet Wisely
We have already mentioned the types of helmets one should use in skateboarding. But there are many options in the market and many manufacturing companies are making a helmet. So, one must choose the helmet that will be perfect for them wisely from the many available options. Let’s know when choosing a perfect helmet which factors one must consider.
Fit: First, the fit is the most important while choosing a helmet. One must make sure the helmet is a good fit over the head. To determine the size one needs to measure their head. The task will be easy using a measurement tape or something like that. Hold the tape approximately an inch above the eyebrows and measure the total area of the head. Take note of the measurements while shopping for a helmet.
Wearing a very tight helmet will be very uncomfortable and it may cause other bad effects like headaches. On the other hand, wearing a loss helmet will not be helpful either. The helmet will slip away in a crush. That’s why the perfect fit is important while wearing a helmet.
Type: The market has standard helmets along with some other options. One can buy a helmet that is made for other sport but has good coverage over the head. Usually, the helmet made for skating will be more coverage and more impact against the crush while skating compare to other helmets. So it's highly recommended that one must wear a helmet that is specially made for skating.
Safety: People are going to wear a helmet because of the safety in the first place. The most important thing to look into while buying a helmet is certification. There is a safety procedure made by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). While buying a helmet one must check if the manufacturer's company meets the safety requirements made by the CPSC and ASTM. If they met then one can surely use the helmet without a doubt.
Ventilation: Some people feel distracting while riding wearing some type of helmet. By wearing a face open helmet can solve this problem. The helmet with ample ventilation and air outlet position will keep the head cool, one will not sweat inside, and one will not feel uncomfortable while using it.
The fact also depends on the weather. Wearing a helmet in summer is more uncomfortable than wearing a helmet in the winter.
Retention and Straps: To keep the helmet in place retention system and straps done a vital role. This two comes in a variety of style. However, the important thing is, is one going to adjust and fastened according to their comfort is important.
Wear a Helmet when Riding a Skateboard
Can one wear a bike helmet while skating?
Both helmets are different. While asking this question one must need to know there is a huge difference between both helmets. The vital reason one should not use a bike helmet while skating is due to its ability to protect. A bike helmet normally doesn’t cover the back but in skating, one needs a good back coverage helmet. While skating safety is the main concern.
A bike helmet made for less impact will not bring any benefit if one falls into a major accident while skating as the impact will be multiple. The most important difference in both helmets is the foam. Manufacturer companies use foam inside the helmet to manage energy. The foam used in a skateboard helmet can protect the head from a heavy hit but the bike helmet can’t. Surely, the bike helmet will save one for some cases but not much as the skateboard helmet that is made with extra padding, a closed-back, and a foam shell that protects the head against hard fall.
So we will highly recommend that one must use a helmet that is made for multiple impacts and mainly designed for the mini skateboard. One must buy the helmet from a good shop and manufactured by a good company.
One can use a skateboard helmet while riding a bike. As the helmet has multi impacts covering capability it will give good protection against the fall.
Why Skateboarders Don’t like Helmets?
The main reason skater doesn’t like to wear a helmet is they think they don’t look cool in the helmet. Sometimes another kid bullies because of wearing a helmet. Not liking helmets is common among teenagers, as looking cool is one of their main concerns. Many pros also think the same way that it doesn’t look cool. Another reason skaters don’t like the helmet is because of the uncomfortable feelings. Mainly, the beginners feel uncomfortable wearing helmets at first but if they keep wearing they will get comfortable. Feeling uncomfortable wearing a helmet is very common in the summer or the hot weather. Because people sweat and they feel hot inside the helmet. However, having a helmet that has an open face feature and the air can travel through the helmet can solve the problem? One needs to double-check while buying the helmet.
How to look cool wearing a skateboard helmet?
Before asking the question one needs to think how cool they will look in the wheelchair, or the hospital bed sleeping in a coma for the rest of their life. Yes, those are going to happen if one doesn't wear a helmet while skating. If the skater is a teenager and they are too concern about looking cool they can buy a cool-looking helmet in the first place from a popular manufacturing company. They can even customize the helmet according to their superhero character. For example, one can buy a plane-looking helmet and they can be customized by color and some lighting into an iron man helmet. It will look cool on the road and the skater may get famous because of the helmet.
Conclusion
Skating is on the road is fun and it also can save time if one is later for school or work. But riding a skateboard is risky too. Without a proper helmet, one can get seriously injured. So it is always necessary to wear a helmet while skating no matter how odd it looks like one thinks. To be in the safe zone one must buy a proper fit and make for skating helmet. Mainly the multi-impact helmet is for skating. Before buying one must check they key point mentioned above along with the available types of the helmet on the market. A helmet without having back coverage is not for skating and one must not wear it even if they feel comfortable and good looking. One must keep in mind that different helmet is for a different purpose.
We believe we have demonstrated the answer Do you have to wear a helmet when riding a skateboard in detail. We hope that people will find these details informative and useful.