Hövding has been launched as the world’s safest bicycle helmet. But new tests show that it has limitations.
In the event of a collision with a car traveling at 40 km / h, the head restraint does not have time to inflate, and the cyclist thus hits his head straight in the hood.
It shows tests from the German state test institute BaST, according to Folksam.
– The problem with Hövding is that it does not have time to cover its head, says Helena Stigson, researcher at the insurance company.
Turns in immediately
When Folksam was to perform similar tests, Hövding must have chosen not to participate.
– The head protection needs to understand that a collision occurs, and we received the answer that it will not work at those speeds, says Helena Stigson.
Hövding only begins to react 80 milliseconds into the collision process. After that, it needs another 100 milliseconds to fully develop. But in a collision with a car, the process often goes faster than that, she says.
In Sweden, bicycle helmets are certified through tests where the collision corresponds to a speed of just under 20 kilometers per hour. Hövding has managed this, and it is thus CE-marked.
“Safe product”
Previously, the airbag helmet was marked with “Good choice”.
– But now we feel that we are deceiving our customers that they think they have full protection when they are not really protected in a collision with a car at higher speeds, says Helena Stigson.
Hövding’s CEO Sofia Svensson questions the insurance company’s conclusion.
-We have five other independent test bodies that show that we have a safe product, says Sofia Svensson and emphasizes that other tests show that an ordinary bicycle helmet does not work at higher speeds either.
-Even if the helmet is on your head, you have to look at the g-force against the brain to see if it is relevant.
Throw away?
Every year, 15 cyclists in Sweden die after colliding with a motor vehicle and more than 1,000 are injured, of which one in five is serious, according to Folksam.
In Stockholm, more than every tenth cyclist uses a Hövding, according to the insurance company’s latest survey.
TT: Are they going to throw away their Chief now?
– Our recommendation is to use a bicycle helmet that sits on the head. Then there are individuals who can not imagine wearing a bicycle helmet and in those cases it is clear that a Chief protects better than if you cycle without a helmet, says Helena Stigson and continues:
Raise the level of violence
The insurance company believes that it is time for the industry to review how bicycle helmets are tested and approved. Helena Stigson points out that almost every fifth head injury in cyclists occurs in a collision with a vehicle.
-We think that helmets should be tested for higher speeds to also reflect the risk of a collision with a motor vehicle. In the future, we will adjust our test method and raise the level of violence, she says.