Originally Posted by
TiHabanero
79pmooney, you bring up an interesting observation. " Did a hard crash, hitting the side of my helmet at 20+ mph. Loose chinstrap and the helmet spun, nearly taking off my ear and knocking off my glasses and leaving cuts around my eye."
I have noticed in slow motion videos of bike crashes the head moves inside the helmet every time. Does this negate MIPS and other systems like it? If the helmet bites the pavement and the head keeps traveling without stopping, does MIPS actually work or is it prevented from working properly?
My personal experience has been that every helmet I have used moves about the head quite freely unless strapped down tight, which is not practical when riding.
The theory, based on some pretty good but disturbing baboon studies, is that the rotational deceleration forces are what causes brain injury in vehicle crashes. MIPS is meant to reduce deceleration by allowing the head to move more. I assume the designers allowed for additional slippage.