All Helmets• Never wear a cracked or broken helmet. A damaged helmet doesn’t provide adequate protection.

• Use your head: Replace your helmet after a lot of use or if it has any visible cracks or other damage. Never alter a helmet yourself.

• Regardless of wear and tear, replace any helmet that’s five years past the manufacture date to be sure it has all the latest safety features.

Helmets worn when playing sports or riding bikes and motorcycles do not make you concussion-proof, but they can help protect you from a serious head or brain injury.

Bicycle HelmetsMake sure your helmet has adjustable padding to provide a secure fit all the way around your head.

Check the fit in the mirror: The helmet should sit level, with the front just above your eyebrows and the front rim barely visible when you look upward.

Adjust the side straps to sit just below your ears.

Tighten the chin strap so that it’s snug. When you open your mouth wide, the helmet should pull down slightly.

Make sure your helmet does not obstruct your view. You should be able to see forward and from side to side.

Choose a bike helmet with a U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission label to make sure it’s been tested for safety.

Head Check:Know Your Helmet

All Helmets• Never wear a cracked or broken helmet. A damaged helmet doesn’t provide adequate protection.

• Use your head: Replace your helmet after a lot of use or if it has any visible cracks or other damage. Never alter a helmet yourself.

• Regardless of wear and tear, replace any helmet that’s five years past the manufacture date to be sure it has all the latest safety features.

Helmets worn when playing sports or riding bikes and motorcycles do not make you concussion-proof, but they can help protect you from a serious head or brain injury.

Head Check:Know Your Helmet

Motorcycle HelmetsFor added protection, opt for a full-face helmet, rather than a three-quarter, open-face helmet. Never use a “shorty” — a half-shell or novelty helmet without a liner.

Make sure there are no gaps between the brow pads and your temples.

Make sure your helmet does not obstruct your view. You should be able to see forward and from side to side.

A Head for the Future, an initiative of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, raises awareness of traumatic brain injury and educates the military community about the importance of preventing brain injury in everyday activities, including sports and recreation.

Released July 2017 by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.This product is reviewed annually and is current until superseded.PUID 2936

dvbic.dcoe.mil/aheadforthefuture

Head Check:Know Your Helmet

Helmets worn when playing sports, skiing, snowboarding or riding snowmobiles do not make you concussion-proof, but they can help protect you from a serious head or brain injury.

All Helmets• Never wear a cracked or broken helmet. A damaged helmet doesn’t provide adequate protection.

• Use your head: Replace your helmet after a lot of use or if it has any visible cracks or other damage. Never alter a helmet yourself.

• Regardless of wear and tear, replace any helmet that’s five years past the manufacture date to be sure it has all the latest safety features.

Snowmobile HelmetMake sure your helmet has dual pane shields and breather guards to provide protection and minimize fogging.

Wear a full-face helmet with a chin bar to protect yourself from dental and facial damage.

Fit the helmet to be snug and to fasten securely. An improper fit can reduce your field of vision.

Make sure your helmet does not obstruct your view. You should be able to see forward and from side to side.

Head Check:Know Your Helmet

All Helmets• Never wear a cracked or broken helmet. A damaged helmet doesn’t provide adequate protection.

• Use your head: Replace your helmet after a lot of use or if it has any visible cracks or other damage. Never alter a helmet yourself.

• Regardless of wear and tear, replace any helmet that’s five years past the manufacture date to be sure it has all the latest safety features.

Ski or Snowboard HelmetThe helmet should cover your whole forehead without gaps and either easily accommodate goggles or have built-in goggles.

Make sure your helmet has sufficient insulation to provide warmth, coverage and protection.

Make sure the fit is comfortable, with no extra space or pressure points.

Fit the helmet to be snug and to fasten securely. An improper fit can reduce your field of vision.

Make sure your helmet does not obstruct your view. You should be able to see forward and from side to side.

Helmets worn when playing sports, skiing, snowboarding or riding snowmobiles do not make you concussion-proof, but they can help protect you from a serious head or brain injury.

A Head for the Future, an initiative of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, raises awareness of traumatic brain injury and educates the military community about the importance of preventing brain injury in everyday activities, including sports and recreation.

Released July 2017 by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.This product is reviewed annually and is current until superseded. PUID 1550

dvbic.dcoe.mil/aheadforthefuture

Head Check:Know Your Helmet

Helmets worn when playing sports — like baseball or football — or riding bikes and motorcycles do not make you concussion-proof, but they can help protect you from a serious head or brain injury.

All Helmets• Never wear a cracked or broken helmet. A damaged helmet doesn’t provide adequate protection.

• Use your head: Replace your helmet after a lot of use or if it has any visible cracks or other damage. Never alter a helmet yourself.

• Regardless of wear and tear, replace any helmet that’s five years past the manufacture date to be sure it has all the latest safety features.

Football HelmetsMake sure your helmet does not obstruct your view. You should be able to see forward and from side to side.

Tighten the chin strap so it’s centered under your chin. When you open your mouth wide, the helmet should pull down slightly.

Your helmet should fit snugly, without any room between your head and the pads.

For the best fit, line up your ears with the ear holes.

Choose a football helmet with a National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) label to make sure it’s been tested for safety.

Head Check:Know Your Helmet

Helmets worn when playing sports — like baseball or football — or riding bikes and motorcycles do not make you concussion-proof, but they can help protect you from a serious head or brain injury.

All Helmets• Never wear a cracked or broken helmet. A damaged helmet doesn’t provide adequate protection.

• Use your head: Replace your helmet after a lot of use or if it has any visible cracks or other damage. Never alter a helmet yourself.

• Regardless of wear and tear, replace any helmet that’s five years past the manufacture date to be sure it has all the latest safety features.

Baseball HelmetsMake sure your helmet does not obstruct your view. You should be able to see forward and from side to side.

Don’t wear anything between your helmet and your head, including a baseball cap, unless a health professional instructs you to do so.

When you’re at bat, the helmet shouldn’t sit too high or too low on your head. Make sure the bill is parallel to the ground when you’re looking straight ahead.

The mask of a catcher’s helmet — whether it has one or two pieces — should rest evenly in the front.

For the best fit, line up your ears with the ear holes. This applies to both batter’s and catcher’s helmets.

Remember there’s a difference between a batter’s helmet and a catcher’s helmet. They are not interchangeable.

A Head for the Future, an initiative of the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center, raises awareness of traumatic brain injury and educates the military community about the importance of preventing brain injury in everyday activities, including sports and recreation.

Released July 2017 by the Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center.This product is reviewed annually and is current until superseded.PUID 4235

dvbic.dcoe.mil/aheadforthefuture