2Wheeltips

Something that comes up quite often is the topic of helmets.

In one camp, you have some who refuse to wear one or, if they do, they wear a novelty helmet to keep from getting stopped by the local police.  They feel wearing a helmet isn't needed and mandatory helmet laws equal the govt. getting in their business. Some even claim that motorcycle helmets are dangerous and will cause whiplash in an accident.

Then there are some who wear novelty helmets for lifestyle reasons. For them, a helmet is a fashion accessory and must look good with the bike and the clothes they are wearing. Nothing else matters.

But the real reason for wearing a helmet should have nothing to do with any of that stuff. You wear a helmet to protect:

1. your head and face from flying debris such as rocks, nails, sticks
2. your head if you crash or go down on your bike

Unfortunately, there are plenty of helmets out there that can't do any of these things. If the helmet you are wearing can not, then you should start looking for a "real helmet".....one that can.

You may be asking, "how do I find one that can give me protection?" Look for one that has passed a helmet testing standard. DOT is one, SNELL is another, ANSI and ECE 22.05 are others.We are not recommending one standard over the other, but the better made helmets will have a sticker on the back that indicates that it has satisfied some type of helmet standard. If it doesn't, then you should keep looking.

Some of the things the test standards check:

1. Will the chin strap break if it is yanked hard
2. Will the outer shell get brittle and crack in cold weather
3. How well it will resist puncture from flying debris
4. How much head protection it offers if it is smacked....hard
5. Will the face shield shatter into sharp cutting pieces if it is hit

A tested helmet is not "magic" and will not save you in very extreme situations. But they definitely can protect you from serious injury and even death in many common motorcycle accidents.

 

Do you ever wonder what motorcycle helmets look like AFTER they have been tested by Snell?  Well, we did....  So, we contacted Snell and they were kind enough to send us half of what was left of a half helmet after they smashed it during testing. 









Follow the arrows in the last two photographs and you will see the point of contact on the outside of the helmet and the resulting compression of the interior liner. 


These cross-section photographs allow you to see what we can normally NOT see after a helmet has endured some sort of impact (from hitting the ground when a rider is thrown off a bike in an accident, for example).  "One and it's done" is a clever way to remind ourselves that after one impact, although our helmets may look relatively fine from the outside and even from the inside, the damage from the fall has been done.  The helmet is no good and should not be used again.

I finished watching the video sent to my by a friend (see "Safety, Safety, Safety (part 1)" and I must say the conclusion was very interesting. The man in the video had a few very powerful comments that I want to point out here:

Your attitude towards safety is what matters
It doesn't matter the occupation or activity. The same people riding around ill-dressed are probably the same people who do not wear seat belts, do not use safety glasses around power tools and probably are the ones who use a gas grill indoors.

Others are affected too...
What happens to those who are close to you if you get seriously injured in an accident?  Children, spouse, parents. Who will take care of them?

Recovering from an accident is painful...
It will take months to heal and some injuries are permanent, such as seizures, scars, missing and disfigured fingers and limbs. Also, who will pay for all of your medical bills and your regular bills if you are unable to return to work.

The video helped me see motorcycle gear in a different light. Let's be honest, on a hot day it gets uncomfortable inside a helmet. And a pair of shorts and sandals would feel feel much better than hot boots and jeans. What would feel more uncomfortable would be getting skin grafts or learning to operate a wheelchair with my chin. Looking at it that way, I think I'd rather be hot or not ride at all than to risk going through what the guy in the video when through.

Here is a newspaper article I came across recently about helmet standards. It is from the NY Times and covers the safety of the buckets we all put on our heads. What do you think ?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/automobiles/27SNELL.html?_r=1

I know…you like the look of that novelty helmet that you saw on someone and you know that you would look GREAT in the same helmet….  Riding down the road on your cruiser, wind in your face,  that's the ride and the look for you!  You'd ride without a helmet if only your state allowed it, so the novelty helmet is the next best thing, right?  After all, something is better than nothing, and you won't be pulled over for riding without a helmet.  All is good on the road, right?  Well, perhaps you should think again.

Complain all you want about the government getting involved in your personal business by requiring you to wear a helmet, but it's not the state official who will be injured if you crash with no head protection.  And, personally, I just want you to understand a little more about novelty helmets before you convince yourself that they do anything to help you in the case of a crash or fall.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested some novelty helmets to see how they performed against the DOT certification.  All the novelty helmets tested failed.  I repeat…..all of the novelty helmets test failed. Not only did they fail but the test results even state that you have a "100-percent probability of brain injuries and skull fracture, indicating that the person wearing the helmet will sustain fatal head injuries."  Other findings from the tests….."All the novelty helmets failed to pass the impact attenuation, penetration, and helmet retention system requirements."

In plain english…..when they hit the ground, they will split open or get punctured by debris on the ground. What remains of the helmet will come off your head because the chin strap will stretch or snap from the stress of the impact. You will crack your skull and die or become a vegetable. Sounds nice, huh?

The bottom line is that your head gets little to no protection.  Good luck if your novelty helmet even remains on your head.  Most of the helmets tested could not even do that!  Some chin straps could be pulled off the helmet with a good yank. Why not just wear a baseball cap? They are cheaper and seem like they give the same amount of protection.

So, it seems to me, at least, that the choice is pretty clear.  Like your head?  Care about your brain?  Wear a helmet that is DOT and/or Snell certified.  Think about it now, before you need it, before you have an accident or fall…because if you wait until AFTER that accident or fall, it is too late.

One word of advice if you are considering getting a used motorcycle helmet:  DON'T!   When it comes to helmets, you need to follow this simple rule:  one and it's done... one impact to that helmet, either from an accident or fall, or simply from being dropped several feet onto the floor, and that helmet's ability to protect your head is reduced...and the damage on a helmet is not always visible.  As the operator or passenger on a bike, always buy a new DOT or SNELL certified helmet from a reputable dealer.  And keep in mind that if that used bike you are buying comes with a helmet from the previous owner, keep the bike....but don't use the helmet!

Helmets are required to be DOT certified.  In addition to DOT certification, some helmets also carry SNELL certification.  What is the difference?  Basically, keep this in mind:  all SNELL certified helmet are DOT certified, but not all DOT certified helmets are SNELL certified. 

Both DOT (Department of Transportation) and SNELL (SNELL Memorial Foundation) have their own standards used to test helmets.   The Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218 is the one that DOT uses and it dates back to 1974; the SNELL Memorial Foundation uses a standard that is updated every five years.  Some of the other basic similarities and differences between DOT and SNELL certification are:

DOT and SNELL assess each helmet by placing it on a head form that is equipped with sensors. The helmeted head form is then dropped from a specific height onto a steel anvil, and the severity of the impact is recorded.

Both standards drop the head forms on flat and hemispherically shaped anvils in order to simulate different types of impacts. However, SNELL also uses an edged anvil that specifically tests the integrity of the helmet's shell.

While both DOT and SNELL drop their helmets to simulate crash impact, SNELL drops the helmets from greater heights, simulating more severe crash impact and require the helmets to withstand greater impact and more force than the DOT standard.

SNELL certification requires a manufacturer to submit 5 helmets of a particular design, for testing; 4 of the 5 helmets are tested and the last helmet is saved as a sample.  DOT relies on the manufacturer of the helmet to do self-certification.  Periodically, the government will conduct spot audits on the helmet manufacturer.  In 2001, when performing a spot audit on 40 helmets, DOT found a 20% failure rate among some of the helmets.  Once found and reported, it was up to the manufacturers to bring their helmets into compliance.

Although their testing process is very similar, SNELL requires their certified helmets to withstand a greater impact and absorb more force than the DOT standards.

In order for a company to claim that their product is SNELL approved, they have to submit five helmets for testing. Four of those helmets are tested and one is saved as a sample product. If the helmet design passes the tests, the manufacturer enters into a contract with SNELL. This contract allows SNELL Memorial Foundation to buy helmets from the manufacturer and test them on a continual basis in order to ensure quality.

The bottom line:  if you want the safest helmet for your money (and your head!), choose a helmet that has the SNELL certification on it; it will meet or exceed DOT helmet standards.

Many states have mandatory helmet laws, requiring you to wear a helmet while riding.  Although there are those who protest the mandatory helmet laws, you need to be selfish and think only about yourself:  if you go down, even if it is a minor incident, and you hit your head, the helmet is the only thing between you, the ground, and serious injury.  Surely, you don’t need a mandatory helmet law to get you into the very good habit of always  wearing a helmet when you ride; it’s your life and your head...enough said!

If you find that a helmet is not comfortable, try another one.  Shop for a helmet at a store where you can try on various sizes made by different manufacturers and where there is a salesperson who is knowledgeable about fitting helmets.  You may find that the size and shape of your head is best suited to the helmets of one particular manufacturer.  If a helmet is too large or too small, it is the wrong helmet! Once you find the right helmet, you will know it; it will become so comfortable to wear that you will wonder how you could ever consider riding without one.  Half and 3/4 helmets do not offer near the protection that full-face helmets do.  Your helmet serves functions other than just protecting you from head injury; it protects you from bugs, road debris, etc.  At highway speed, even a bug hitting you in the face or eyes can cause serious injury!   You can also purchase additional visors for your helmet that provide UV filtration and shading if you are riding in bright sunlight and you don’t want to wear sunglasses.  These visors are simple to swap out and you may want to consider having several of them for different riding conditions. Remember that, if you start out on a trip during the day and are using a shaded visor, you will have to bring along a clear visor for any riding that you do after the sun goes down. In some states law enforcement will pull you over for riding with shaded visors after dark.