Sad helmet incident

On Thu, 16 Jan 2020 12:05:06 -0500, Radey Shouman
wrote:

Girl, 4, died after bike helmet got caught on branch:

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-...shire-51139789

She wasn't riding her bike at the time, but, being four years old, she
probably wasn't able to remove her own helmet.

Perhaps we should all try a simple experiment. Throw a rope over an
overhead tree branch or roof beam. Attach the other end of the rope
to your bicycle helmet. Take up the rope slack by bending your knees.
No need to lift your feed off the ground as you're likely to strangle
yourself, break your neck, or hyperextend some muscles.

While the chin strap is under tension, try to release the chin strap
clip (also known as a "quick release buckle").
https://www.google.com/search?q=quick+release+buckle&tbm=isch
I just tried it on my (Giro Indicator G151X) helmet, with only a few
kg of tension, and couldn't release the chin strap (quickly or
otherwise). The harpoon shaped clips are designed to hold under
tension.

The buckle on my spare helmet did something unexpected. If I only
pushed one of the two buttons on each side, the quick release would
jam. Squeezing the remaining button did not release the buckle. In
order to release it, I had to push the buckle back together, and then
push BOTH buttons at the same time, in order to convince the buckle to
release. I doubt if a four year old could manage that. My Giro
helmet didn't jam, but did require quite a bit of force to squeeze one
or both buttons to release the buckle.

In my never humble opinion, it would not be difficult to redesign the
common "quick release buckle" so that it would release under tension
or possibly when an added release cord and D-ring is pulled.



--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558