Unfortunately, many drivers complain whether or not a cyclist is wearing a helmet, but the truth is the bicycle helmet will do little to protect a cyclist from an impact with an automobile. Bicycle Helmets are not designed the way motorcycle helmets are. Bicycle helmets are only designed to protect a rider from fairly trivial falls, to protect your head from a curb or driveway ramp. Hopefully Volvo’s research will yield some major improvements for bicyclist roadway safety.
That bicycle helmets are not currently tested against such impacts will be a revelation to many cyclists and motorists, many of whom erroneously assume that bicycle helmets offer greater protection than they are actually designed to provide.
“Current bike helmet testing procedures are fairly rudimentary,” state Volvo and POC. They involve “helmets being dropped from different heights on either a flat or an angled surface, and do not take into account vehicle to bike accidents.” The tests mimic low-speed falls on to curbs rather than any impacts from motor vehicles.
Volvo’s ‘World First’ Bicycle-Helmet-Versus-Car Test Flags Helmet Safety Flaws