White Motorcycle Helmet Or Other Colors – Which Is Safer?
The truth is, there is no evidence available to support this. There are so many variables involved in motorcycle accidents. It would not be possible to draw any conclusions about the safety of white motorcycle helmets or any other color helmet. Motorcycle accident studies do show that white is one of the most visible colors for riders to wear.
White may even be safer than red, black, and blue because white stands out better against the pavement. White can provide greater contrast against dark road surfaces like asphalt and concrete. This could help motorists see you sooner, which means they could stop in time before hitting you or swerve to avoid crashing into you.
There are also two main types of white paint, that is, bright white and white pearl. Bright white paint is more visible than white pearl, which is why car manufacturers used bright white on the exterior of cars for many years. Over the last few decades, motorcycle enthusiasts have overwhelmingly chosen white helmets.
Often this color is selected by riders who don’t own a bike yet but are buying their first helmet. Other popular colors include black (23%) and silver (17%). The least popular would be red (3%), yellow (2%), and orange (1%).
Bell makes glows in the dark helmets in white, yellow, and pink, but these are only available in U.S. dealerships. They have white helmets with speedometers, but again these are also only available from U.S. dealerships. They are not in the usual spot where white helmets and accessories are sold.
Even though white is a popular color for motorcycle helmets and riders may believe white helmets will keep them safer, the truth is that all white motorcycle helmets on the market share another trait.
They’re more expensive than other colors because of low production rates. One-color is required per batch instead of mixing colors. Plus, there’s no additional technology put into the white helmets to make them any safer than other colors. It’s an aesthetic decision.
The Main Advantage of White Motorcycle Helmets
- The white color provides greater visibility in order to allow for better observation and recognition by the people. The white color reflects light better than black or dark colors (such as blue or red). As motorcycles, cars, trucks, and other vehicles pass you in traffic, it is easy to see them with your white helmet. They reflect their light directly onto your white helmet.
- Another important factor when choosing a white motorcycle helmet is that it makes an excellent application against the sun’s rays. This helps prevent long-term vision problems such as cataracts.
- Another advantage of white motorcycle helmets is that it helps keep you cool as well as safe. The white color reflects the sun’s rays. The color also discharges the heat much more rapidly than a dark-colored helmet. This keeps your head cooler and reduces the chance of fatigue on hot days when riding long distances.
- White is a bright color that goes with just about any outfit or bike. Try wearing a white helmet with your brown leather jacket and see how great you look.
What Are the Disadvantages of White Motorcycle Helmets?
There are no disadvantages to white motorcycle helmets except that white might be hard to keep clean over time. Any motorcyclist knows that black bikes show dirt too. White has many advantages when compared to other colors in terms of safety and visibility while also being easy on your wallet.
5 Factors to Consider While Choosing Motorcycle Helmet Color?
- Contrast: Choose a white motorcycle helmet or other colors to increase the visibility and safe distance to motorists.
- Visibility: The white helmet color is considered superior to other colors in terms of increasing the peripheral vision capability by 20%.
- Color option: Motorcycle Helmet white paint provides a unique look, but needs more frequent cleaning and waxing than any other color. This may be an issue for some riders’ preference.
- Personal choice: Riders often select white helmets because white is not a popular color among motorcyclists. They don’t have the same image problems when wearing a white helmet as they would if they wore, say, red or black motorcycle helmets. But today many riders purchase white-colored helmets, so their style doesn’t have to be compromised.
- Color psychology: white is considered a safe color in traffic. This is why white or silver cars are called “crash cars”. The white car’s driver always has right of way when accidents happen, so many Euro countries have white on their number plates to increase safety.
Are Black Helmets Less Safe Than White Helmets?
Commonly, white helmets are believed to be safer than other colors because white, or any bright color for that matter, makes it easier for drivers to see you. Some people think that wearing white means they are more visible and thus reduce the chances of being in an accident.
Unfortunately, these people are wrong. A white helmet can make you less safe sometimes while riding your motorcycle. This is because the white color will blend into a sea of white cars, which may not be visible until it’s too late.
There have been tests where participants using bikes with white-painted helmets performed worse at avoiding obstacles than those with black painted helmets. The findings were published in the Traffic Injury Prevention journal by lead author Ian Walker. He said, “A white helmet might indeed offer some benefits in terms of increased conspicuity.
But at the same time, it also reduces how far ahead other road users can see the motorcyclist. From this viewpoint, a white helmet could be considered detrimental.”
In short, white paint does make you more visible to car drivers, but they might not notice you in time. This is because white tends to blend into white-painted cars, which may cause a driver to take a few seconds longer before reacting.
If that isn’t scary enough, then imagine being hit by a white driver who has just passed out while driving or texting on their phone.
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