Ergonomische Aspekte bei der Nutzung von Fahrradhelmen - eine Europäische Initiative

Abstract

Although helmets are the main safety device available to cyclists to prevent head and brain injuries in the case of an accident, they are currently utilized only by a minority of adult us- ers. COST Action TU1101 with the acronym HOPE (Helmet OPtimiza- tion in Europe, http://www.bicycle-helmets.eu) studies user behaviour and helmet characteristics aiming to improve the safety for cyclists by optimization of bicycle helmets and their use. The combined effort of currently more than 40 experts representing 19 countries is organized into four working groups “In-depth Accident Observations and Injury Statistics”, “Traffic Psychology”, “Impact Engineering” and “Ergonom- ics of Thermal Aspects”. By this contribution, we want to introduce the background and objectives of COST Action TU1101 focussing on the ergonomic aspects in order to disseminate the information to the stakeholders and to stimulate potential contributors including cyclists, legislators, manufactu