Keeping a cool head

Whenever I go into a bike shop looking for a new helmet, the trainee sales monkey always uses the excellent line of “how much is your head worth?” to which I reply “About £100”.

But on reflection I should be willing to pay a lot more to protect what I think is a fairly useful bit of my body.

I’ve just been reading about this new “Thermahelm” helmet that has a clever lining which uses a chemical reaction to cool the head when you have an impact, reducing swelling and the chance of brain damage. 20 per cent of bike accidents resulting in traumatic brain injuries are routinely treated with brain cooling in hospital, so it makes sense to start the cooling at the crash site.

So I’m saving my coppers for what I think is the biggest advancement in crash helmet technology for 50 years.

Well done to the inventor Jullian Powers and the guys at Sussex University Innovation Centre. And if you know a biker send them this way: http://www.thermahelm.com