Helmets

[jcbell1007]

So I was chatting with one of my supervisors the other day who is working on a grant right now for NHTSA to increase motorcycle awareness in Law Enforcement.

In Vermont's last 10 motorcycle fatalities, 4 out of the 10 people killed were wearing non DOT approved helmets, 2 out of the 10 are unknown because the helmets were never checked and 4 were confirmed DOT approved.

I guess I never realized, even in LE, how much a problem that people wearing non-DOT helmets might be. I know this was just a quick bullet point but it boggles my mind why someone would go through the trouble to put on a helmet that has the potential to provide no safety whatsoever.

I also know that the stats won't/can't say if the deaths were due to head related injuries so there is no guarantee that a DOT helmet would have saved a life. But I have to think it may have saved a life or two.

but what do you think? especially those of you in NH, ME, and RI where there are no helmet laws. Just playing devil's advocate because I am a firm gear supporter and believer, and I do support my state's laws on helmets.

discuss

[noxin]

non-DOT Approved helmets aren't necessarily unsafe, just not sent through our testing system.

There are helmet that carry just Snell or ECE ratings.

Also, just because it was at a time, DOT Approved, doesn't mean it still is. There was a big issue in Massachusetts when the Helmet the State Police had issued lost their DOT rating. MMA wanted to know why they weren't receiving citations constantly.

[RandyO]

helmets are over rated, they do not prevent accidents, my bright yellow t shirt does

[DucDave]

Man has a propensity to use corner cases to construct universes that support whatever he wants to believe.

For example:

"Smoking isn't bad for you. My father was 84 years old when he died. And he smoked all his life."
"Seatbelts are bad. I know someone who knows someone who knew someone who died when their car crashed and they couldn't get out because of their seatbelt."

The fact that both of those statements are absurd beyond belief doesnt change the fact that there are people that sincerely subsribe to those positions.

At the end of the day, you cant fix stupid.

And yes...I'm saying it's stupid not to wear a full face helmet that meets at least one or more of the current standards. Which standard is a legitimate scientific discussion.

[markbvt]

helmets are over rated, they do not prevent accidents, my bright yellow t shirt does

Bright-colored helmets definitely help increase a rider's visibility to motorists, especially the new day-glo ones, in addition to keeping your head from cracking open like an egg if it hits pavement.

To the original point: I've seen plenty of people in Vermont wearing beanie helmets that are clearly not DOT approved because they have virtually no padding. One guy told me he refuses to wear an approved helmet because they're so big and "make you look like a giant penis" (his actual words).

There don't seem to be any consequences to wearing a non-DOT helmet (aside from increased likelihood of head injury in the event of a crash). If this is something that the state intends to start enforcing, the obvious first step would be for all LEOs to learn to recognize likely non-DOT helmets. The starting point is easy: you can rule out pretty much all 3/4 and full-face helmets.

Edit: What I'd find interesting is how ECE-approved helmets fit into this. There are lots of European helmets that exceed DOT standards (ECE is tougher than DOT) that simply haven't been brought to this market and therefore haven't been tested by the DOT, but they can be easily bought online. Technically, these are not street legal, but this is one of those cases in which I would hope that LEOs would observe the spirit of the law instead of the letter of the law. Jason, what's your take on this?

--mark

[RandyO]

Bright-colored helmets definitely help increase a rider's visibility to motorists,

I agree, the point I was trying to make is that one of the most important features of protective gear is visibility


you have zero percent chances of getting injured if you have avoided an accident altogether

if your concern is safety, visibility is inportant, I notice though that many riders are more concerend with color matching bike, gear & helmet than they are with the helmets actual protective features or fit

does a poorly fitting helmet protect any better than no helmet at all or a not DOT helmet?

I still say helmets are over rated, more emphasis should be made on avoiding the crash altogether