New testing shows that not all bicycle helmets protect people in the same way. 

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety teamed up with Virginia Tech to do crash tests on 30 of the most popular bicycle helmets on the market. 

Bicycle helmets sold in the United States must meet some basic government standards for safety, but beyond that, there is no official consumer guide to what helmets are best or what features matter. 

So the Insurance Institute for Highway teamed up with Virginia Tech, who has been testing football and hockey helmets, to create a rating system for bicycle helmets for consumers. 

The Virginia Tech lab ran rigorous crash tests on 30 popular adult bicycle helmets and rated them based on concussion protection, zero stars being the worst and five the best. 

Of the 30 tested, only four scored a 5-star rating. 

You would think the more expensive a helmet, the better it would protect, but according to the report, not the case. 

The top four rated bicycle helmets by Virginia Tech offering the same level of protection ranged from $75 to $200. 

One thing all the highest-rated models had in common was they had MIPS or multi-directional impact protection system built in. 

KRON4 stopped by a performance bicycle shop where Dennis was nice enough to explain what MIPS does for the helmet wearer. 

“MIPS let your head move during a crash if you get stuck so it can help prevent neck injuries,” said Dennis Westler, who works at Performance Bicycle. 

Dennis points out one of the most important things about bicycle helmet safety he says most people don’t know about. 

“You must replace the helmet after three to four years… it loses its build,” he said. 

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