Insurance company has tested 20 bicycle helmets – nine for children and eleven for adults – and only three are awarded the "good choice" label.
The development of children's helmets lags behind, according to Folksam. In the test, all adult helmets were equipped with so-called rotation protection. Almost half of the children's helmets had that.
The protective ability varies greatly between the helmets. Best in the adult category was "Poc Cytal", which protects 30 percent better than the test's average. Worst were "Lazer Verde Kineticore" and "Abus Powerdome Mips" which protect 34 percent worse than the average.
On the children's side, "Occano Junior Mips HLM" manages best (19 percent) while "Lazer Maze JR Kineticore" was worst (minus 31 percent).
"It is up to four times higher risk of concussion if the cyclist uses the test's worst helmet compared to the best. This shows that there is potential to further improve safety," says Helena Stigson, traffic safety researcher at Folksam, in a press release.
All helmets have been tested and approved according to European requirements, but Helena Stigson believes that the EU tests have shortcomings.
"In addition to the risk of skull fracture, one also needs to look at how the helmets protect against brain damage. One also needs to test at higher speeds than 20 km/h as today," she says.
