Since helmets are directly related to people’s lives, they should be chosen carefully. But usually, people choose them based on criteria such as quality, material, shape, and size. Few people choose based on color.
So, are colors that important? Are white motorcycle helmets safer?
In fact, the color of your helmet in the dark can actually save your life! The simplest and most important reason is that people’s vision is more attracted to light colors compared with dark colors. Motorcycleclick.com will explain this fact in detail!
Are white motorcycle helmets safer?
It turns out that the white helmet is safer. This statement can be seen from the actual data compiled by many scientists. Let Motorcycleclick.com learn more below!
What do the scientists say?
Many have researched this topic
Vinatas – a research agency of Vietnam, has proven that wearing a white helmet can reduce accidents by 24%, light-colored helmets also reduce about 18%. In comparison, dark-colored hats only reduce 11%.
According to the MAIDS (Motorcycle Accidents In-Depth Study) survey – a research unit on motorcycle accidents, a 3-year survey with 921 accidents in 5 countries in Europe, the number of people wearing helmets and clothing Light colors have an accident rate of only 25%, while dark colors are up to 75%.
Another study published by PMC found that brightly colored motorbike helmets are the most eye-catching. Compared with dark color, white, orange, cream, beige, and yellow motorcycle helmets are 19% less likely to have collision injuries.
A lot of different studies have delved into the issue of helmet color. Different researchers and different methods do these studies. However, there is only one result, and it shows that dark helmets are less safer than white helmets, especially at night.
Why is that?
A white helmet provides a higher visibility index than other colors, especially at night.
Mr. Ho Tat Thang, the author of the Vinatas study we mentioned above, said that through surveys and consumer opinion polls, they found out that white helmets help road users easily identify, especially at night, so the ability to observe and avoid will be better, leading to higher safety.
Not only that, when traveling on the road at great speed, wearing a light-colored helmet helps drivers quickly recognize you from any direction. This is especially important in cases where you are traveling alongside a large truck and you are most likely viewed as a “small dot” when the truck driver looks in the rearview mirror or turns a corner.
In summary, white motorcycle helmets are the most visible and easiest to spot because of creating a strong opposite between the helmet background, surroundings, and surface. This is also a good color that will make you stand out from the background, improving your visibility in the eyes of other road users.
Are black helmets less safe?
Black is a cool color; that’s why many motorcycles love and choose black helmets. However, this is a color that brings plenty of disadvantages and a lack of safety for users, especially at night.
The visibility
Disadvantages of black helmets
Black is the most common color for motorcycle helmets. However, it doesn’t help in making the driver more visible. The black color does not create any appreciable contrast to its background surroundings, thus causing the driver to blend in with the surroundings, reducing their presence.
Black is arguably the worst of all motorcycle helmet colors — especially when combined with black gear, black motorcycles, and no reflectors.
The heat
In addition, black motorbike helmets have tended to be hotter than white helmets because they absorb light and heat better and then store it. It would be a nightmare if you’re stuck in a traffic jam; it can get way hotter than usual.
It has been proved that helmets that darken in the sun tend to break down the foam lining just below the shell more quickly, which means it reduces the safety rate while riding.
However, don’t worry if you are a fan of black helmets. You can still improve your visibility by wearing a black helmet with a light-colored suit and a light-colored motorbike. Motorcycleclick.com will talk more about this below.
What is the safest colored motorcycle helmet?
Police often wear fluorescent jackets to have a better visibility
It can be affirmed that white motorcycle helmets are much safer than dark helmets. However, to increase safety to the highest level, what color helmets should we equip ourselves? Let’s find out with us, shall we?
With data from cbi.nlm.nih.gov, we can easily see that while black motorcycle helmets raised the accident rate by nearly 15%:
- Blue motorcycle helmets reduced the risk of crash injuries by 4%.
- This rate of red motorcycle helmets decreased by about 13%.
- The data showed that yellow and orange motorcycle helmets lessened the traffic accident percentage by about 30%.
- White helmets reduced the risk by 21%.
As can be seen, white helmets have a relatively high accident rate reduction compared to other colors. However, orange and yellow are the two safest colors. Especially fluorescent yellow and fluorescent orange. This is also the reason lifeguards often wear this color at night.
What else can I do to be seen/safe?
Undeniably high accident rates will take place at night, so how to travel with your motorbike safely? Check out a few tips below!
Clothes
Wearing a black helmet with yellow clothes is safer
To ensure the highest safety, it would be helpful if you are not wearing black. This condition is even more essential if you are a black helmet fan.
Because a full black outfit can make you “completely disappear” in the dark, so consider buying fluorescent clothes in bright colors.
Your equipment
Use high-altitude lights for better visibility, but be careful to switch to low-altitude lights when vehicles, pedestrians are approaching or traveling in urban areas.
This equipment will help when there are oncoming vehicles, passersby because they recognize you when you arrive.
Night riding helmet glasses
These kinds of glasses help drivers move better at night because they often have a yellow color that can see things clearly in the dark.
Helmets with night goggles can prevent glare, block the headlights from oncoming motorcycles, and reduce the accident rate.
Conclusion
People usually don’t consider the helmet’s color when they need to choose one. Still, it is proven by many scientists that colorful helmets can reduce the rate of traffic accidents.
Hope this article helps you answer the question that you are wondering: “are white helmets safer?”.
Check the website Motorcycleclick.com for more information about helmets.
