Journal article
Improving motorcyclist safety through hearing in all directions: survey results concerning a novel protective helmet with earpieces
Journal of injury and violence research, Vol.16(2), pp.89-94
07/2024
DOI: 10.5249/jivr.v16i2.1891
PMCID: PMC12646358
PMID: 39440723
Abstract
Every year over 200,000 motorcyclists are killed globally. One poorly understood risk factor for motorcycle crashes is the role of motorcyclists' ability to hear traffic and other sounds around them in all directions. Most motorcycle helmets protect the head and permit vision in the forward direction, but they impair the wearer's ability to hear. This study evaluated user perceptions of Protective Helmet with Earpieces Equipped, a novel system that affixes technology onto existing motorcycle helmets to allow motorcyclists to better hear the surrounding environment in all directions.
59 Colombian traffic police agents who rode motorcycles daily completed self-report surveys about their traditional motorcycle helmet, used a Protective Helmet with Earpieces Equipped helmet for two months, and then completed a follow-up survey. We tested two hypotheses: (a) at follow-up compared to baseline, motorcyclists would report decreases in perceived safety, comfort, and ability to detect sounds with their traditional helmet, as well as increased fatigue and stress from motorcycling with their traditional helmet, and (b) at follow-up, motorcyclists would report high perceived safety and perceived importance of hearing traffic sounds in all directions while motorcycling. Wilcoxon signed-rank test evaluated hypotheses.
Participants rated perceived safety while using their traditional helmet to be significantly lower after using the Protective Helmet with Earpieces Equipped compared to before using it (Z=-3.5, p less than .001). There were no changes in other variables assessed. Following use of the new helmet, participants reported greatly improved safety (M=4.56, SD=0.54, where 4=safer and 5=substantially safer) and perceived the importance of hearing traffic sounds in all directions as high.
Improved auditory perception could increase motorcyclist safety. Participating traffic agents felt the Protective Helmet with the Earpieces Equipped greatly improved their ability to hear and improved their motorcycling safety. Perceived safety while using their traditional helmet decreased following use of the alternative.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Improving motorcyclist safety through hearing in all directions: survey results concerning a novel protective helmet with earpieces
- Creators
- Felipe Morales V - Resonar, Pereira, ColombiaYixin Wang - University of Alabama at BirminghamKen C Pohlmann - University of MiamiRodrigo Posada - Resonar, Pereira, ColombiaAdolfo Vargas - Seguros SURA, Bogota, ColombiaJose M Ramirez - Resonar, Pereira, ColombiaAlejandra Bejarano - Resonar, Pereira, ColombiaEric Anderson - Vroom Network, Carson City, Nevada, USADavid C Schwebel - University of Alabama at Birmingham
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of injury and violence research, Vol.16(2), pp.89-94
- DOI
- 10.5249/jivr.v16i2.1891
- PMID
- 39440723
- PMCID
- PMC12646358
- NLM abbreviation
- J Inj Violence Res
- ISSN
- 2008-2053
- eISSN
- 2008-4072
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/2024
- Academic Unit
- Research Administration
- Record Identifier
- 9984958306002771
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