The thought of being involved in a Milwaukee motorcycle injury accident can be scary. The idea of being thrown from your bike can be daunting enough to prevent some people from even getting on a bike. Others don't let that possibility stop them from riding and they make sure to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves in the event that an accident does occur.
For smart riders, the top precaution includes wearing a motorcycle helmet. A motorcycle helmet is one of the best ways to increase your chances of survival if you fall off your motorcycle, if you are struck while riding your motorcycle, or if you are thrown from your motorcycle.
What most riders do not know, however, is that if you are involved in a Wisconsin motorcycle accident that causes even the slightest impact to your helmet, you must not to use that same helmet again.
We hear a lot of riders say, “I spent a lot of money on this helmet and I only went down once with it on. There are just a few scratches, but otherwise it doesn’t look like it’s changed. Can’t I just use it on local, non-highway roads?”
The answer is, “No.” Even low-impact crashes can cause the protective lining of the motorcycle helmet to decompress, which decreases your chances of it protecting you in another crash.
Snell, a private, not-for-profit organization that sets voluntary standards for motorcycles in the United States, offers these facts from their website: “During a fall or crash…the foam liner starts to crush and break, which uses up a lot of the energy, keeping it from reaching the head inside.” It is this “crushing” and “breaking” that renders the helmet useless in the next crash.
That is why Hupy and Abraham’s Milwaukee motorcycle crash attorneys urge all riders to buy new helmets any time their old ones undergo some type of impact. It may seem like an expensive buy, but it is definitely worth it if it saves your life.
For more information on Wisconsin motorcycle accident injuries and how to prevent them, contact Hupy and Abraham today at 800.800.5678 or fill out our online form.