I am persuaded of the prudence of wearing a helmet when riding on streets or with any kind of speed, or if one might run into some obstacle that could cause much more serious harm than need be risked (pace Yehuda Moon). But the helmet seems to me to be but a good start: I took this one step further. After reading a review in late 2011 by All Season Cyclist on the Hardnutz Hi-Vis Yellow Bicycle Helmet--which is florescent yellow-green and incorporates lots of reflective stripes for low light and nighttime riding--I ordered one directly from the US distributor (Ski-WebUSA.com), since apparently it is not generally (ever?) carried in local bike shops; made in Great Britain (there are some other color options, too). I've used it almost daily for over a year: it is super! (even if I don't like the logo size/placement, and am ambivalent about the name too.)
I was motivated in part because I often want to ride in clothing that is neither light and colorful nor reflective. Many of my coats for cool to cold weather and T-shirts for hot weather are black, or at least dark, and not designed for cycling, or, if they are, they have little to no reflective materials built into them. So why not get a helmet--which is also the highest and thus most visible point for drivers to notice--that covers that concern regardless of what else is worn! It's great. I can dress as I like, although at night I also add an armband if wearing a dark top or coat (just as I do for running and walking in low light and darkness): safety first!, of course, but who says that style does not matter upon safe arrival!
The helmet is lightweight,, has lots of vents, a visor, adjusts well, and has lots of other features one should expect (see the web site), in addition to coming with a nice bag with straps for wearing on one's back to carry the helmet, or, as I do, serve as a bag I keep in my pannier just in case I need to expand on the trip home. I am able to easily adjust it to fit comfortably when wearing a hat or hood (my hat size is small; if you are trying to sort out if it will work for you, they say "one size fits head size 54-62cms").
But a high-viz helmet is merely a good start, in my view: I ride to and/or from work in the dark or low light and sunrises/sets, and lighting is often low through the winter here in the mid-west, plus the residential streets are lined with mature trees, so I go in and out of shade even mid-day. As a car driver, I am well aware of how one can lose clarity for a moment in that transition from sun to shade, and that is all it takes to come upon a cycler; add the time involved in looking back from texts and other distractions that sadly seem to be necessary to driving for so many today, and you have the recipe for an unintended disaster, no matter how cycle-friendly that driver might otherwise be. So I rigged my helmet with lights soon after the helmet arrived. Again, after a year, I can say that I love this arrangement (this photo show both lights mounted, plus the visor included with the helmet).
The tail light is a Planet Bike Superflash Turbo, which is widely available. It has a one watt power LED plus 2 red LEDs for visibility up to 1 mile, and runs on two AAA batteries. I use simple (black) plastic ties running into vents and through the light hook to hold it in place (you can see them in the bottom photo below). This way I can put on the blinker whenever lighting would be prudent--and I find that is often, even during the daylight, as already explained. Again, the safety feature is enhanced by being at the maximum height a rider can supply--on the top of their head! Win-win.
I want a headlight that both puts out sufficient light for me to see well and for drivers to see even better! So I decided on a NiteRider brand MiNewt.600 Cordless (slightly revised since my 2011, I think, and they offer both more and less powerful options). It is terrific, offering 600 lumens in three levels of brightness plus a flashing light (great for low light of wintertime, dawn and dusk, and especially when the sun is low or rising/setting brightly). It is rechargeable by UBS or outlet. My usual home-to-school-and-back commute is about 1 hour, so I don't really test the length of time a charge will last, and I recharge it overnight; I think I could do that less often, esp. since usually use the lower setting or flash, which last several hours). I suppose this product's primary market is off-road night riding, and perhaps one day I will enjoy that--it sounds like fun, anyway). But I can say that cars notice it, thus me, and it elicits comments by more than a few who recognize just how visible it makes me compared to many other riders out there in daylight as well as low light or night with either no lights or wanna-be-lights that are not-really-bright-enough-for-the-task. Here is how I have set it up:
The headlight came with the helmet mounting bracket as well as one for the handlebars. I usually just mount it on the handlebars, but, again, if I want to provide light at the maximum height for effectiveness as well as to be able to see wherever I turn my head to look, I put it on the helmet. I have mounted it permanently on the top front of the helmet (top photo above), so it is always an option. Otherwise it does not inhibit the features of the helmet, and, in my opinion, it is not large enough to present an aesthetic problem either. The informed viewer might also notice the bracket in the top photo above, which allows me to mount a rearview mirror when desired, but I seldom find that necessary for my regular residential-streets commute.
I wonder why commuter helmets are not simply designed with features to provide these safety benefits?
Anyway, I am very pleased with this arrangement, and each piece has been doing what it is supposed to do for over a year.
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