If you need to buy a motorcycle helmet, you may be shocked by how expensive they can be, with some nice helmets costing up to 400 dollars. With prices like those, should you buy a used motorcycle helmet?

It is never a good idea to buy a used motorcycle helmet. The helmet is one of your best protections against injury when riding a motorcycle. That is the reason for all of the laws requiring a helmet be worn.

If you buy a used motorcycle helmet, you are taking a huge risk with your health in the event of an accident. There are several different reasons why you should never purchase a used motorcycle helmet.

A main reason to never buy a used motorcycle helmet is that there is no way to know if it has ever been dropped or involved in an accident. Once a helmet has been in one impact, it can no longer protect you.

You might believe that it will be easy to tell if your helmet has been damaged, but this isn’t true. Most damage occurs within the helmet, and cannot be seen. This damage is what renders the helmet useless.

A separate issue is the age of the helmet. Even if it has never been dropped or damaged, its shock absorbing layer, made of expanded polystyrene, will break down over time. This means you will not be adequately protected.

You can also never know if a used motorcycle helmet has been left in the sun, or too close to a gas tank. These can both lead to breakdowns of the helmets lining, which you cannot see.

It is a bad idea to buy a used motorcycle helmet. Even if you’re buying from someone completely honest, age and wear can create serious safety issues with any helmet, leaving you unsafe as you ride.