Helmet Use to Avoid Traumatic Brain Injury in a San Diego Bicycle Accident

Attorney Information on California Bicycle Helmet Law and Bike Safety Tips to Prevent Personal Injury

Photo of person on a bicyclePeople who love biking in San Diego reap the benefits of cycling as exercise and low-cost transportation. However, these benefits can come with a cost. Avoiding a San Diego bike accident and taking the proper bike safety precautions to protect yourself can help ensure that a pleasant ride on the SoCal coast does not end with a trip to the hospital.

In terms of protection, and certainly for avoiding head or brain injury, the single most important piece of cycle gear a California cyclist should own is a properly fitted bicycle helmet. Anyone who rides a lot knows the discomfort and pain of road rash after a spill on a bike, but what if a bicycle crash is more than just a spill? What if the bicycle accident involves a car? Bike crashes involving cars, trucks and other vehicles often occur because negligent drivers fail to notice the cyclist until it is too late. Some of these San Diego bike accidents can cause catastrophic injuries, such as spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries.

When a devastating bicycle accident happens, wearing a properly fitting bicycle helmet becomes more than a fashion statement; wearing a bike helmet becomes a matter of protecting your life. Our San Diego bicycle accident lawyer provides information you need to know about California bicycle helmet law and how to fit a bike helmet.

Advice on What to Look for in a Bike Helmet

The most important factor to preventing brain injury in a bicycle accident is making sure your bike helmet properly fits. A properly fitting bicycle helmet must:

  • Hold its position on your head in the event of impact
  • Feel snug but not too tight on your head

Different brands of bicycle helmets have different sizing methods, so the best way to check the fit is to try the helmet on. If the helmet sits too high around the top of your head and squeezes to the point of discomfort, the bike helmet is too small. A local San Diego bike shop or sports store may be able to point you in the right direction for which cycle helmet is best for the type of rides and bike routes you prefer.

How to Properly Fit a Bike Helmet

Take both of your hands and place them on top of the bicycle helmet. Push around in a circular pattern to emulate different directions pressure comes from. Your bicycle helmet should hold its position on your head with minimal movement.

Also, make sure you adjust the straps on the bike helmet properly. They should hold the helmet square on your head and be snug—but not tight—around your chin. If your bike helmet tilts to one side or the other, it may not protect your head with impacts coming from certain directions.

The amount of space between your ears and the bottom of your bicycle helmet should also be the same on both sides.

California Cyclists: You Must Wear Your Bike Helmet for it to Work!

If you are involved in a San Diego bicycle accident, your helmet will not help prevent a head injury sitting on a shelf in the garage. One of the biggest mistakes people make with bicycle helmets is not wearing them. You never know when a bike accident may occur, so the only safe bet is to always wear your bicycle helmet when riding. Often, it is that short trip to the store or around the block—when people feel they do not need to wear a bicycle helmet—that an unexpected bicycle accident occurs.

Teach children to get in the habit of always wearing a helmet when biking in San Diego by doing so yourself. California bicycle helmet law require children under 18 to wear a helmet. Take similar steps to properly fit a bike helmet for a child as you did with your own bicycle helmet.

Legal Support for Cyclists Hurt in San Diego

Whether you were or were not wearing a helmet biking in CA, you have rights as a cyclist. San Diego bike accident attorney Joshua Bonnici is an avid cyclist who enjoys commuting to his law office on his bike. If you need information about a San Diego bike accident involving brain injury, contact our bike injury lawyer to schedule a free consultation.

Even if it is just to learn your legal rights after a San Diego bike accident, you have nothing to be nervous about or fear when you call our law firm. We are San Diego residents and cyclists just like you.