The humble helmet has been around in varying shapes and sizes, and made from various materials, since about 900BC, when people tried to defend themselves against swords and arrows. Nowadays, the helmet is not so humble, particularly in terms of the motorcycle crash helmet.#
A bit of history...
The motorcycle has been with us since Gottlieb Daimler invented the first machine back in 1885. However, the motorcycle helmet took time to catch up with the quickly evolving motorcycle technologies. It took the death of two significant figures in relatively recent history to kick start and accelerate the development of the motorcycle crash helmet. In 1935, T.E. Lawrence – of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ fame, succumbed to serious head injuries, following a collision on one of his Brough Superior’s in Dorset, near to Bovington Camp. He owned seven of them, with another one being built for him at the time of his death.
The injuries sustained by Lawrence caused Dr Hugh Cairns, a neurosurgeon, to investigate and study head trauma prevention in motorcyclists. This work continued through WW II. Despite the advances made during that conflict, following WW II, ‘crash’ helmets were only required to be used during motorcycle racing events, and not by civilian riders. Then in 1957, following the death of the car racer William ‘Pete’ Snell, the Snell Foundation was set up with the aim of setting, maintaining and promoting crash helmet safety standards worldwide. It still took until 1973 for legislation to be passed to make it compulsory for crash helmets to be worn by all riders using motorcycles on the road.
Modern helmets
So here were are today, an absolute plethora of different manufactures producing crash helmets from various materials for the different types of motorcycling activities. Fundamentally though, the passive helmet technology has not significantly changed over the last 30 years or so.
The outer shell is typically made from either polycarbonate plastic, fibreglass or Kevlar, while the shock absorbing materials, the inner liner, are made from expanded polystyrene or polypropylene "EPS" foam, but ostensibly the overall design for crash helmets used on the road, has not radically changed that much.
Much work is undertaken to ensure that the helmet you buy over the counter provides you with the best possible protection from head injury during a collision/impact. Collision statistics show that some 18% of injuries sustained by a rider will be to the head area. In relation to a pillion, that figure rises a little, to some 22%.
Approved Standards
The helmet you wear must be marked with the approved standard, ECE 22.05 or (much less commonly nowadays) British Standard 6658, A or B. ECE approved helmets can be identified by a capital “E” within a circle, accompanied by a six figure approval number starting “05”. The approval marks may be located inside the helmet, normally a sticker underneath the lining or sewn on to the strap. British Standard approved helmets have a conspicuous sticker applied to the shell, indicating compliance with BS 6658, either A, or B, the latter being less stringent. The Auto Cycle Union (ACU) Gold Sticker is not a legal requirement for use on the road, however, should you wish to use the helmet for a track day it will most likely be required to display such a sticker on the shell.
The purpose of the helmet
Despite popular belief, the crash helmet’s main purpose is to prevent traumatic brain injury, while skull and facial injuries are of a significant secondary concern. Skull fractures are not always life threatening; however, brain injuries are far more serious. They frequently result in death, permanent disability or personality change and, unlike bone, neurological tissue has a very limited ability to recover following an injury. So in protecting your brain from possible injury, the crash helmet must fit properly, for protection and for comfort.
www.sharp.direct.gov.uk has a good guide to assist in fitting yourself with a comfortable helmet, and then you can use the SHARP site to find a helmet with the highest impact rating. It is most important that the crash helmet is cleaned and stored according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Most come with a storage bag in which to keep the helmet. Store it in a cool darkish place when not in use, never store near to a heat source, nor in direct sunlight.
A crash helmet will have a life span of some 3 to 5 years, depending upon how regularly it is used. The intrusion of sweat into the lining and shock absorbing material will gradually degrade those materials, thereby reducing the protection performance of the helmet.
How do helmets work?
The outer shell resists penetration and abrasion. The inside of the shell is equally important. Its impact-absorbing liner absorbs more of the shock by slowly collapsing under the force of the impact and dispersing that force through the material. In fact, both the shell and liner spread the forces generated by the impact throughout the helmet material. That is why, in most cases, if a crash helmet is damaged during an impact, the effectiveness of the integral protective materials will be compromised, thereby reducing its effectiveness in another collision and so the helmet should be replaced. The function of the soft foam and cloth liner next to your head helps to keep you comfortable and keep the helmet fitting snugly around your head. The purpose of the chinstrap is to keep the helmet on your head in the event of a crash. In the main, there are two different types of systems used to fasten the chinstrap, double D rings and the seatbelt type buckle and clasp.
Other functions of the helmet are to protect your face and head from the weather and deflect insects and other flying objects. In relation to full face helmets, the design reduces windblast and wind noise, thereby reducing rider fatigue.
Visors and goggles
The visor's principle function is to protect the eyes from the weather, wind and flying objects, such as insects, rain and grit . Both visors and goggles, must be approved or confirm with the requirements of certain standards and so marked with any of the following;
- British Standard approval marks (4110-X, XA, YA or ZA)
- Council Directive 89/686/EEC as amended (goggles)
- or ECE Regulation 22.05 .
If the visor or goggles (Eye Protector) is marked with ‘not for road use’, then it is unlikely to conform or be approved to any of the previous standards and therefore should not be used on the road. To be approved, the ‘eye protector’ will be designed not to fly into fragments if fractured, and will be marked ‘shatterproof’. The Eye Protector must also allow through more than 50% VLT [visible light transmission]. In relation to iridium or dark visors, you will not know without having it tested, whether it meets such a standard.
Adrian Short, Forensic Collision Investigator for Sussex Police, and a committed motorcyclist himself, comments:
“In relation to iridium or dark visors, you will not know without having it tested, whether it meets such a standard. In my experience of testing visors following collisions, it is unlikely that an iridium or dark tinted visor will pass such a test and therefore it is very likely to be marked ’not for road use’.”
To do its job properly, the visor needs to be kept clean and primarily, Adrian would suggest using a soft clean cloth and warm soapy water. There are various products manufactured for cleaning the visor surface, however, he has found over the years the former works well and is much cheaper. Surface dust on the visor can be abrasive if it is not rinsed off first.
Adrian continues:
"I have used a non-silicone polish for some years on my visors, to clean/polish after washing. This also helps keeping the rain off the visor too. The ‘anti-fog’ inner visors do seem to work well in my experience. There are generally two types, a pin-lock and a stick-on type. The pin-lock type can be detached from the visor and cleaned periodically and easily replaced when scratched.
"By the nature of the term ’stick-on’, this type is not generally removable without having to replace the unit. With use the inner and outer surfaces of the main visor can become worn and scratched. Certainly, small scratches across the surface will affect a rider’s visibility, especially at night and possibly when it is raining. If the visor does become scratched, replace it."
Helmet checklist :
- It bears a clearly visible label indicating ECE type approval.
- It covers rider’s forehead and brow
- It doesn’t move, slip over rider’s eyes or put pressure on his forehead
- Rider’s peripheral vision should not be obstructed
- The helmet mustn’t cause pressure or impede vision to riders wearing glasses
- Most importantly, it must be comfortable and be correctly fastened.
