Helmet Safety

Hello everyone.  I am having trouble with my internet connection so I am unable to upload the audio file of this post to the site where it is hosted.  As soon as this problem is resolved I will update this post.  Thanks!

This is the last post on Helmet Safety and then we will move on to our next Topic of the Week - Weddings.  

After talking to many of you and hearing your stories, arguments, and ideas about traffic safety - one thing that seems to make a difference with a lot of people is scary pictures and videos of the consequences of not wearing a proper helmet. 

Wear Your Helmet the Proper Way

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A helmet must fit correctly and be worn correctly to protect you. 

When you are buying a helmet, buy one that is the proper size for you.  It should not be too loose or it might fall off in an accident.

It should sit on top of your head and rest 2 finger widths above your eyebrows.  If it comes below that it's too loose (too big for you.)  Above that, say 3 finger widths or more, it's too small or it's not sitting on top of your head.  Maybe, It's pushed back too far.  It needs to sit on top of your head to give you protection.

The helmet must be buckled properly.  The straps on the side of the helmet should pass on either side of your ears making a V.  Adjust the straps so the bottom of the V is right under your ear. The chin strap must be buckled and fit snuggly under your chin.  That means it's tight enough that you can only fit 1 finger between the strap and your chin. 

If the chin strap is not buckled or if it is too loose, then the helmet will come off your head during an accident.  If the helmet is not on your head, it offers no protection at all.

So, buy a good quality helmet and wear it properly for the maximum protection.

Thanks for listening. This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

How to Pick a Safe Helmet

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Today I'm going to talk about picking a safe helmet.  You watched the videos from Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP) and you are convinced that wearing a helmet is a good idea.  Now you need to know how to find a good helmet.

Why Wear a Motorcycle Helmet?

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Why should you wear a Motorcycle helmet?  This one is easy - the reason to wear a helmet is to save your life and save your brain.  According to the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation,  If you are in an accident and you are wearing a helmet you are 42% less likely to die and 69% less likely to be injured.

Because it's not just about dying.  You don't want to end up in the hospital with a life long injury to your brain.   Think about people,  everything you do is controled by your brain and if part of it doesn't work anymore neither do you.  That means you might lose the ability to talk, to walk, to think, to feed yourself and now you are dependent on someone else to take care of you for the rest of your life.  

If you are in an accident and you hit your head, your head stops moving when it hits the pavement or the other vechicle or whatever, but your brain does not. It keeps moving forward until it hits the inside of your skull and even then it doesn't stop moving.  It bounces back to hit the other side of your skull.  All this bouncing around causes damage that can result in a minor head injury such as a concussion or it can cause death.  Don't let it happen to you - WEAR A HELMET!

So, This information is pretty easy to understand.  So, why don't we do it.  Why do people NOT use a helmet every time they ride a bike?  Well, the list of excuses usually includes things like -  I wasn't going very far
I'm a good driver
It's too hot to wear a helmet
Does any of this sound familiar? 

Well, watch this public service announcement and see if you still think those are good excuses. 

Thanks for listening and remember No Excuses wear a helmet everytime you get on a motorbike.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.

Topic of the Week - Road Traffic Safety

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Wow I'm really late posting the new topic of the week.  But it's an important topic so I hope you will forgive me.  Our new Topic of the Week for May 8 - 14, 2012 is Road Traffic Safety and specifically helmet safety. 

I'm really excited to be able to talk about this subject because it's important here in Vietnam where motorbikes are the main form of transportation.  Did you know 70 percent of all traffic accidents involve motorbikes and it is the leading cause of death in young people ages 15 - 29 years of age. I don't want that to happen to you.  I want you to live a long and healthy life so that is why this subject is so important. 
     
I went to a training session yesterday with the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation.   You can find their website at www.asiainjury.org and I went to their training session and I learned alot of information that I will be sharing with you on this blog about why it's important to wear a helmet, how to pick a safe helmet and how to wear it properly. 

But if you are one of my readers from the American Center Hanoi you can attend a special event to launch Road Traffic Safety Week.  Monday May 14 at the American Center there will be a presentation on Road Traffic Safety and a Poster contest with prizes. That's right I said prizes! You could win a custom Pro-tec helmet.  I hear it has a special design and it's really cool.  And of course, it's a good helmet to protect your head. So, be sure to come.  You can find all the the information on the American Center website at vietnam.usembassy.gov/program.html and of course, you can find all of those websites in the show notes. I hope to see you there. 

Thanks for listening.  This has been Cassie Brenn for fastfoodenglish.blogspot.com.