Xinhua News Agency, Taiyuan, March 15th Question: Can an electric bicycle helmet be safe for 3.9 yuan?
Xinhua News Agency reporters Xu Xiong and Zhao Yang
Since 2020, the country has implemented the "one helmet and one belt" safety protection action to urge electric bicycle drivers to wear helmets. The reporter found that although the helmets worn by cyclists were similar in appearance, their quality was of varying quality. Can these helmets effectively protect the safety of cyclists?
Prices vary greatly, and the quality varies greatly.
. On relevant sales markets and online shopping platforms in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, the reporter found that the prices of electric bicycle helmets on sale vary greatly. The cheapest ones cost only 3.9 yuan, and the expensive ones reach hundreds of yuan.
reporter purchased two helmets from the market priced at 40 yuan and 170 yuan respectively. Among them, the helmet, which is priced at 40 yuan, has a complete shape and a layered structure inside. When worn, the head does not come into direct contact with the shell, which seems to be impeccable. Another 170-yuan helmet has a stronger shell and a more reliable strap. There is also an additional foam material buffer layer between the two-layer structure.
reporter first conducted a 1.5-meter-high watermelon "wearing a helmet" falling to the ground. During the experiment, the second helmet protected the watermelon from being damaged, and the watermelon under the "protected" of the first helmet cracked directly in half.
"wear" the watermelon that was the first helmet cracked in half.
Then, in the education display area of an electric bicycle registration point of Taiyuan Traffic Police, the reporter used this equipment to conduct a simple test on the two helmets. In a simple miniature experiment with a fall piercing height of only 1 meter, the top of the first helmet was broken directly and the head mold was pierced by a steel cone. The second helmet was only stabbed with small concave points, and it was not penetrated, and there was no visible damage to the head mold. In addition, the second helmet remains fixed at all times, while the first helmet’s straps are disengaged when impacted, causing the helmet to shift.
In a warning and education film provided by Taiyuan Traffic Police, Shanxi Bicycle Electric Vehicle Industry Association and other units, a cyclist wearing a helmet was rolled over from the head by a mixer truck, but quickly stood up; another cyclist wearing a helmet threw the helmet out when the collision was hit, and was seriously injured. In another minor scratch accident, although the cyclist wore a helmet, his head was still bleeding and his eyes were damaged by the broken helmet fragments, causing secondary damage.
Jia Yongfeng, an observer of the National Bicycle Standardization Technical Committee, believes that whether from simple experiments or actual cases, there are indeed large quality differences in the electric bicycle helmets sold on the market. Poor quality helmets are mainly manifested in poor shell material, unreliable belt, lack of foaming material buffer layer, etc., which cannot effectively protect the consumer's head.
has a large market and many manufacturers. "More than 70% of helmets are not safe"
According to statistics from the China Bicycle Association, the number of electric bicycles in my country currently exceeds 300 million, and the number of deaths in traffic accidents involving electric bicycles every year is very alarming.
According to statistics, in 2019, 8,639 people died in electric bicycle traffic accidents nationwide, causing 44,677 injuries, accounting for 70% of the number of non-motor vehicle casualties. Yue Qilong, deputy chief of the Certificate and License Department of the Vehicle Management Office of Taiyuan Traffic Police Detachment, said that among the fatalities involved in electric bicycles, more than 80% of them were deaths caused by brain injury, and the main reason was the absence or irregular wearing of safety helmets.
With the launch of the "One Helmet and One Belt" campaign in 2020, a large number of electric bicycle drivers have begun to buy helmets, with a market capacity of over 100 million. Zeng Changlong, a member of the compilation team of the "National Mandatory Standards for Helmets for Motorcycles and Electric Bicycles", told reporters that since April 2020, the demand for electric bicycle helmets has soared. In the past two years, my country's electric bicycle helmet manufacturer has soared from more than 100 to more than 500, and the daily production capacity of helmets has increased from 200,000 to about 1 million. However, according to their market research, more than 70% of electric bicycle helmets on the market have safety risks.
Most electric bicycle riders wear helmets.
In a test conducted by the Shenzhen Institute of Measuring and Quality Inspection Institute Head Protection Products Laboratory in 2021 based on local group standards, 4 of 10 helmets are not resistant to falling, and 6 restraint straps are not reliable.
Some merchants in the electric bicycle sales market in Taiyuan said that if they want to cope with the inspection, "you just need to buy a helmet worth 20 yuan"; if you really want to ensure safety, "you need to buy a 3C logo for more than 100 yuan." Some merchants "buy electric bicycles and get helmets", but except for the helmets given by the two brands, the quality of the helmets given by them are good, a large number of merchants are giving cheap helmets without foaming material buffer layer. Among the many electric bicycle drivers interviewed by the reporter, only one purchased a helmet worth more than 200 yuan. Most other respondents' helmets cost between 20 and 40 yuan. These cheap helmets have no foam material buffer layer.
Make "hard helmet" safe still requires efforts from multiple parties
Reporter's investigation and investigation have learned that the current electric bicycle helmet industry has neither national nor industry standards. Some places have issued relevant group standards. However, these standards are not compulsory and cannot comprehensively regulate the product quality of the industry.
Some manufacturers believe that in the absence of mandatory standards, it is difficult for manufacturers to produce low-quality electric bicycle helmets in the name of "protective helmets" and other departments to investigate and punish. Some companies produce 3C certification helmets with Class B helmets for motorcycles, which are not easily accepted by the market due to their high cost and high price. Industry insiders suggest that the issuance of mandatory standards in relevant countries should be accelerated to form strong guidance and regulation for production enterprises.
Traffic police department recommends that relevant local legislation can also be further improved. Currently, in the electric bicycle management regulations in some places, wearing helmets is only an "encouragement" and is not a mandatory requirement, and there is no requirement for the safety level of helmets. The traffic police department called on the next step of local legislation to include helmet wearing in mandatory norms and clarify the safety level of helmet wearing, so as to truly protect electric bicycle drivers.
Yuan Jinhui, deputy secretary-general of Taiyuan Consumer Association, reminds consumers to effectively improve their safety awareness. When purchasing electric bicycle helmets, they should not just seek cheapness. It is recommended to purchase brands with good reputation through formal channels; when purchasing, they should confirm the product name, certificate of conformity, factory name and address, enterprise qualifications and implementation standards. It is recommended to purchase products with 3C certification in accordance with motorcycle helmet standards; if you have any doubts about product quality, you can log in to the website of the National Certification and Accreditation Supervision and Administration Commission and enter the product code to query. She also reminded that the service life of the helmet is generally 3 years made of plastic and 5 years made of carbon fiber. It is usually stored in a dry and ventilated place without direct sunlight to continuously maintain the material strength of the helmet. Only in this way can the safety helmet become a "life-saving helmet" when a traffic accident occurs.
