Motorcycle Helmet Safety Standards

There are numerous styles of helmets but the three main designs are the full face and the helmet.

Motorcycle helmet safety standards.

Safest motorcycle helmet type. This is the standard safety rating for european countries. For this guide we ll stick to the three main standards dot ece and snell 1. Motorcycle helmet safety standards explained.

The three common safety standards you need to know about are dot ece and snell. It measures standards and rates helmets with a star rating system instead of a pass fail result. It was created by the united nations. If you re ever in a serious motorcycle crash the best hope you have for protecting your brain is a motorcycle helmet.

Dot is the u s. Always wear a helmet meeting the u s. World motorcycle helmet safety standards. Ece stands for economic commission for europe.

Unsafe helmets may have plastic buckles that can easily break in the event of a crash. Sharp is an independent crash helmet safety test funded and run by the uk government that puts ece 22 05 approved helmets through a more rigorous extra test and incorporating a rating system only available for helmets sold in the uk. Helmets can pass one two or even all three standards so you may have a helmet that is just dot dot and snell or dot and ece approved. This stands for department of transportation not doin our thang but the standard is fmvss 218 the federal motor vehicle safety standard 218 motorcycle helmets and it is.

Here s a little more information to clear up that alphabet soup of certifications. In this section we ll get into more details about what each helmet safety standard entails and its suitability for helmets rated by each body. Recently a fourth testing body has entered the motorcycle helmet market. We ve assembled a guide on the different things to look for when choosing the safest motorcycle helmet from motorcycle helmet types and safety standards to helmet fit and safety features.

Depending on design unsafe helmets may weigh a pound or less. Department of transportation dot federal motor vehicle safety standard fmvss 218. In regards to. The current federal standard fmvss 218 is required for legal road use.

Look for the dot symbol on the outside back of the helmet. The most current safety standard is the ece 22 05. World motorcycle helmet safety standards there are numerous safety standards for motorcycle helmets in the market and it may look confusing to some new riders. Helmets meeting the dot safety standard have sturdy chin straps with solid rivets.

Helmets meeting the federal standard generally weigh about 3 pounds. Over 50 countries have adopted this helmet safety protocol and favor energy absorbing helmets like that of the dot standards. Country safety standard usa dot european ece.