3 - destroyed in accidents
3 - Replaced - age
1 - Stepped on

One for me. The year was 1986, way out in the Davis Mountains in West Texas. Low water crossing with moss, went down, knocked myself out. Was wearing one of the old Skid Lids (anyone remember these?). I survived, helmet did not.

2 for me.
1979: training ride prior to first Pacific Coast Tour.
*Pile Driver* (head first) into chain link fence.
Bell Biker saved me from severe scalp lacerations at LEAST (to this day I can recall the sound of my neck vertibrae popping like knuckle joints), as my full body weight drove the top of the helmet into the fence mesh.
Left a DEEP dent in the fence, sore/stiff neck for a week. Used the Biker until replaced with a Bell Tourlite several years later.

1992: near zero speed crash in condo parking lot.
Bounced the left side of the Giro helmet (just above and in front of the ear) off the asphalt. Saw stars for a bit after impact. Tightened the quill stem bolt (DOHH !!! note to self ALWAYS check for loose bolts after doing overhaul).
Flattened/compressed and cracked the helmet at point of impact.
Helmet was IMMEDIATELY "Retired" never used again.





This ^^^^

As of 5 yrs. ago sis still has the Skid Lid I gave her (it was her first bike helmet, long ago retired).

^^^^
The damage in the picture looks very bad. What is VERY concerning to me is that the impact absorbing foam looks to have been deeply compressed (besides being cracked). The helmet will no longer be able to protect/minimize BRAIN INJURY should you fall on left side of your head in future.

IF IT WAS MY HELMET I would contact the maker of the the helmet with the details of the accident and offering to send the helmet back (pictures of helmet and injuries are helpful) and see if they will replace the helmet or discount the purchase of a new helmet. I know Giro/Bell do this, so they can study exactly how the materials performed in real world accidents.

I would NOT use that helmet.

Instead I would purchase a less expensive helmet immediately. All helmets sold in U.S.A. must meet mandated minimum level of impact protection. Trade off with cheaper helmet is less Convenience (sizing/strap adjustment is not as easy/quick), Comfort (ventilation/sweat management not as well designed) and with many of the higher/top end helmets, more rigorous third party vetted testing.

I've only cracked one. I didn't even notice the scuff and crack on first inspection and continued to ride with it. Damage was less than the pictures shown above.
I had taken a corner too fast on glass-slick dry pavement and skidded a few feet on my face. My safety glasses were also scuffed yet kept my eye safe from harm. My face had some pretty road rash.

Anyhow, the damaged helmet was given some kind words and was promptly replaced after noticing the damage. It did it's duty as designed.

I've also retired 2 others.
One had been kept in the garage for a decade and the foam got rock hard.
Another the thin shell plastic had discolored and degraded from heat and sun. I no longer trusted its structural integrity.

Helmets just are not a buy-one-lasts-forever purchase.

Neither the helmet's thin plastic shell nor the foam are very safe by themself, but when combined and intact they are very strong and provide great protection. Google about the beaks on toucans for an interesting discussion of similar "engineering".

I have a few extra helmets which also lets me color-coordinate with my attire.
One is just for night riding and has my night lights permanently mounted.
Another is for hot weather riding and is more expensive but with better ventilation.

Yeah I hear you. I'm going to see what to get as a replacement. Thanks much.

None, I don't wear helmets

:)

I had one break. Someone ran over it with a car :-(. It was sort of my fault because it was on the ground in a parking lot, but really the person who ran it over was pulling in too close and too fast. They happened to have a new(ish) spare helmet that didn't fit them well and it fit me, so they gave it to me for my trouble so it all ended okay.

I slightly cracked one by accidentally dropping the end of a barbell on the rear portion. I used the offending barbell to hold it in place while the epoxy set, and then retired it for good when I crashed the next year. I cracked another one during my encounter with a curb last November. (While cracks do affect the integrity of the polystyrene, I'm not convinced that they ruin the shock-absorbancy for the next hit. But that's a discussion for another thread, not this one. ;))

Have never 'used' a helmet except as a hat. The first one was a gift from a friend - have 'wasted my money' on about a half dozen helmets since then, over 35+ years.
(Sound of rapping on head.) Have only ridden maybe 5-10 miles unhelmeted since 1976.

That used to be true, but now they've come out with helmets that have better side impact. The only one of these that looks attractive to me is ~$200, so I have yet to pick one of these up, but one for my girlfriend is on the short list as her helmet took an impact recently. It doesn't show any real damage, but I suspect it isn't as effective as it was before. Besides, she's had it for a decade, and chances are the time and sun have probably degraded the materials some as well.

Luckily I have yet to crack a helmet from impact, I have retired two due to the pads being shot, the straps being worn out, and the clicky thing at the back that adjusts the fit being broken.

None. (knocking on wood)

My younger years were before cyclists wore helmets. Lots of minor crashes, lots of road rash, but nothing broken.

More recently just a couple of "stupid" spills at low speed. The only thing injured was my dignity. :lol:

Same for me; no cracked or even scratched head.

I've only actually broken one helmet, and that was in a crash in a cyclocross race. I replaced another one because I landed squarely on my head crashing in a mountain bike race, but surprisingly that one didn't crack.

I haven't broken a helmet commuting yet.

Have cracked two helmets in falls (one a pedestrian jumping out between cars and the other a poor patch job on a utility cut) and found a crack in another helmet for no known reason. Also had the padding in a Kiwi helmet just disintegrate after about five years of use.

ditto

One, from a crash where I fractured my elbow and chipped my wrist.

It has cracks in it similar to Stix's picture. I don't wear it.

I did a slow-mo head plant because the rear axle broke while I was starting to crank across an intersection. There was an ambulance waiting at the light. I took my Bell V1 Pro off and checked it for damage. The foam shattered, but the hard plastic shell was fine. The ambulance drove away unconcerned, but somebody else stopped and asked if I was OK.

All other helmet failures have been related to strap/buckle failures.

Here two cracked helmets. Not even sure how the second one cracked -- I thought I landed on back :( -- but I did replace it.

I don't see much point in an expensive helmet unless it's got some feature that I really like. I'm running a Bell Metro that I bought on sale for $40, and I have another in a box in the basement in case I ever crack this one, and the old Bell Citi that I had before this is still around too. That's probably enough helmets to last me the rest of my life.

:thumb: ^^^^ :)

Currently riding with the Metro as well. Also purchased for $40 (probably the same clearance sale). The Metro was Bell/Giros top of the line Commuter/Urban helmet which I recall retailed in the $75-85 dollar range when it was introduced. While not expensive in todays world of $200/$250 competition/pro Giro helmets, Back in the day the Metro was a top tier helmet when even top end competition/pro Giro helmets tended to max out in the $125/$170 range.
Big Kudos :thumb:for having the fore sight to purchase a spare metro. It was and still is an excellently designed helmet in my most humble opinion.

Zero. I've been hit by a car once but didn't land on my head, thankfully. I've been commuting for almost 10 years.

One. Last November 1st. Had to move off a road onto some grass due to cars too close to the edge of the road. When coming back on my front wheel caught edge, twisted and sent me over the bars onto my head and hip. Ouch! I remember feeling my head crushing the foam and thinking "thank God I was wearing a helmet" as I had not usually worn one and only put it on because of damp weather. The other point is it hit at the rear of my head just to the left of that pointy bump. I credit the fact I was wearing a skater style helmet for covering that area. $40 Bell Faction btw. Cracked outer shell and liner. Will post a pic if I can get it off my phone.