'Second scalp' cycle helmet adds new twist to preventing head injuries

A NEW safety helmet that could save the lives of scores of cyclists each year has been developed by a former GP.

The helmet is covered by a revolutionary polymer "membrane" and wafer-thin layer of lubricant that protects the head from injuries caused by being twisted in a crash. Its membrane acts like a second scalp, which naturally moves over the skull when it receives a blow, so reducing the risk of "rotational" head trauma.

Conventional helmets are composed of a layer of shock-absorbing material and rely on deformation of the shell to reduce the impact of any blow. But they do not guard against the rotational injuries inside the skull, which cause potentially fatal tearing of blood vessels and nerves in the brain, often in the first 15 milliseconds after an impact when a helmet can bite into a road surface, causing rotation.

Tests have shown that, by sliding on the shell of the helmet on impact, the SuperSkin layer cuts rotational injury by 67 per cent.

The new design has emerged as annual statistics show an increase in the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured on British roads. There were 2,680 such casualties between June 2008 and June 2009, a 4 per cent rise on the previous year's figure of 2,575. About 100 cyclists die every year, with 80 per cent suffering head injuries.

British inventor Dr Ken Phillips estimates that his "anti-rotation" helmet, which has taken 15 years and 1 million to develop with the help of government grants, will cut dramatically the toll of death and injury caused by blows to the head.

The former doctor began work on the design after discussing head injuries with his son, a keen motorcyclist. He said: "The 'eureka' moment came when I realised the scalp slides over the outside of the skull."

Phillips is planning similar helmets for horse riders, skiers and American footballers.