Light colored helmets may reduce risk of crash!

Researchers in New Zealand recently examined whether the color of a helmet affects the risk of a crash. The study compared motorcycle drivers who had been involved in motorcycle crashes that led to hospital treatment with those who had not (as a control group), while examining the color of the helmets worn by all study participants. The results showed that higher proportions of drivers who had been involved in crashes reported wearing black helmets, while fewer reported white helmets.

Compared with wearing a black helmet, use of a white helmet was associated with a 24% lower risk of crash. Similarly, having a “light-colored helmet -compared with a dark-colored” one -was associated with a 19% lower risk of a crash. The researchers concluded that some 18% of crashes can be avoided if non-white helmets were eliminated: similarly11% of crashes could be avoided if all the helmets were not dark in color.

Although the results of the study cannot necessarily be generalized to other settings or countries, it seems reasonable to assume that there is greater protection from white helmets as opposed to black ones, and from lighter-colored ones generally as against darker colored ones.

Some experts are of the opinion that perhaps white colored and light colored helmets show themselves up better in dark areas and at night. Motorcyclists emerging from dark corners or street crossings wearing white helmets will relatively be easily noticeable by other motorists. Dark colors tend to absorb light unlike white and light colors which reflect the light.

The chances of a person wearing a dark overcoat and a dark colored helmet riding a black color motor-bike being noticed in a dark stretch of a road is perhaps much lesser than when the same person wears at least a white helmet, if not a white coat. However it is needless to mention that a combination of factors really add up in different degrees while analyzing the cause of accidents. But following simple laws of physics with respect to color and reflection can make a big difference at times.

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