Riding your beast gives a feeling of freedom like owning the open road, shooting towards the destinations while wind runs across your entire existence is just an unmatched experience but it doesn’t mean you forget the responsibility that comes with riding like suitable safety gear and safe motorcycle. Here I’ll list the crucial safety standards to consider while choosing motorcycle helmets.
Basically, the foremost purpose of wearing a helmet is to prevent serious brain and head injuries by disseminating the crash forces and protecting the covered part from banging hard. The prominent features of full-face motorcycle helmets are; a solid outer shell, shock-absorbing liner, comfort padding, and supporting system (chin strap).
Hundreds of safety helmets available in the market make it a bit confusing to choose a suitable yet safe motorcycle helmet. The touchstone of a motorcycle helmet is its safety rating. Opting for ONLY rowdy and funky graphics isn’t the criteria here. There are some safety standards to take on board.
Snell Memorial Foundation
According to any law, Snell certification isn’t mandatory but voluntary, a thorough helmet testing is a and b the c of d. So, the Snell foundation certification includes the safety features that are tested. In impact testing, the sensitivity, and toughness of the helmet are determined and predict the behaviour under actual impact. The roll-off test is conducted to determine the tendency of the motorcycle helmet to roll-off during impact. The dynamic retention test is subjected to identify the dynamic loading and define its residual and dynamic displacement,and damage to the retention system. Moreover, shell and face penetration tests are performed to check the rigidness of the motorcycle helmet.
DOT
DOT is the basic motorcycle helmet standard, In the USA, the Department of Transportation (DOT) assess the safety of the helmet. Under the DOT certification, motorcycle helmets go through a series of tests similar to Snell memorial tests including field vision, impact negation, penetration resistance and more, but the evaluation criteria differ for used test equipment, impact, and severity.
European Standard 22/05
Similar to the Snell testing and DOT, the value and test standards slightly vary with an addition of standard retention testing for durability, retention, absorption and slipping. Under the ECE 22/05 standard, a further test for the rigidity of a helmet shell is done.
European BSI 6658-85 Type A
Similar to the Snell testing, the safety standards for motorcycle helmets are also measured by the European BSI 6658-85 Type A. Passing criteria slightly differs from the Snell standard however, the number of categories list the strengths as ‘ Same as Snell certification’ for a reference.
SHARP
To beat the game, SHARP issues a star rating after testing the helmet, only available for helmets sold in the UK. SHARP use multiple impact points per motorcycle helmet, conduct a thorough impact test and perform a helmet autopsy after the impact to spot the weak points.
It’s not necessary to be approved by all the safety standards including ECE, DoT, and snell. It’s all right if a motorcycle helmet passes one, two or even all of the safety standards. In the end, what matters the most is the rider’s Safety.