 This Web site is an easy guide to give you information aboutSafety Facts USAAccording to 2005 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 4,008 motorcycle occupants were killed on our nation's roads last year, an 8% increase from 2003. Motorcycle helmets have been shown to save the lives of motorcyclists and prevent serious brain injuries. Twenty states and the District of Columbia require helmet use by all motorcycle drivers and their passengers. Twenty-eight other states have laws only covering some riders, especially those younger than 18. Three states - Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa - have no helmet requirements at all. All-rider helmet laws are effective in increasing motorcycle helmet use, thereby saving lives and reducing serious injuries.
2003 Motorcycle Helmet Safety Fact Sheet USA
BikerKiss.com - the largest biker personals site! What kind of protection does a helmet provide?
Helmets are tested laboratories for straight line (linear) blows only. Test procedures set by standards bodies like Snell, ANSI, and CPSC require a helmet containing a 5kg (11lbs) hard headform to be dropped onto a flat anvil from a height of 1.5 to 2.0 metres (5ft to 6ft 8in). If more than 300g's is imparted to the headform the helmet cannot be certified. The outer shell of the 1980's hard shell helmet is designed to spread the force of an impact over a greater area of the head. The micro-shell of modern helmets does not do this, deforming instead and allowing the liner to start compressing at the point of impact. Whether this is good or not is open to question.
All shelled helmets reduce friction in a slide compared to no-shell helmets. The helmet's liner is made of foam sufficiently stiff that the head inevitably will absorb some of the impact. The stiffer the liner, the more shock the head will absorb. Theoretically, the liner is supposed to limit the deceleration for a typical fall on to a flat hard surface to a sub-lethal level, ie. less 300g's, by absorbing energy. Sub-lethal means anything from a very bad concussion to a coma. If a blow is of such severity that the liner is crushed to its minimum thickness, excess energy is absorbed by the head and the blow is likely to be lethal. The medical profession now believes that even lesser accelerations can produce serious injury and that the 300g level is too high. However, it is unlikely that helmet standards will be raised to provide significant protection because the industry doesn't believe that consumers would buy the resulting products. The trend is in the opposite direction. In Australia, the standard was actually lowered because helmets produced under the old standard did not meet with market acceptance. Manufacturers are presently responding to market demand for helmets which improve air-flow inside the helmet and to fashion by manufacturing helmets with more holes them. While these pass standard tests, they spread impacts over a smaller area of the head, so when an impact occurs it will be more concentrated around the center of the impact.
Are helmets supposed to provide protection against all impacts?
No. Sharp, high speed objects are likely to penetrate helmets particularly those with many vent openings. Also, helmet tests monitor the effect of linear force but not rotational force. A blow which is not square on centre, i.e. not linear, will rotate the head. Diffuse injuries - the most serious and common type of brain injuries - result from rotational stresses on the brain. Linear force on the other hand, result in focal or localized injuries rather than diffuse injuries. It has not been ruled out that the added mass, size and surface texture of a helmet may make the rotational effect more severe. A "safety" device which has been shown undeniably to assist in rotation and increase the risk of diffuse brain injury is the headrest on car seats in rear-end crashes. Nothing has been shown one way or another though, for bicycle helmets. When acquiring new helmets, buyers should consider helmets which are spherical in shape as they are more likely to minimize rotational effect than the trendy duck-shape aerodynamic helmets.
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When Must I Replace a Helmet?
You should replace the helmet if you have suffered a crash. - Impact can crush some of the foam, although you may not be able to see the damage. - Sometimes the helmets work so well that you need to well examine them for marks or dents just to see if you hit. Majority of manufacturers recommend replacement after five years. - This depends on usage - obviously if it has hardly been used then you do not need to replace it. - If your helmet is well looked after then also no need to change it.
However there is no law stating that you have to replace your helmet so it is up to you.
Helmets and Carriers for Children
There is little research on the impact tolerance of a child's brain, however studies are now in progress. The helmets that are available for children seem to work well, however some indications from researchers claim that the foam may be too stiff. Very small children may not be able to carry the weight of a heavy helmet. If you need reassuring show the child and the helmet to the pediatrician.
It is also highly recommended to put a helmet on a child who is seated on trailers of child seats.
It is also recommended to put a cushion behind a childs back for better comfort.
In short is advisable if at all possible not to put a small child on a motorcyle - and to think very carefully before putting one a bicycle.
