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Helmet Standard Question

7527 Views 24 Replies 16 Participants Last post by obandoj, Aug 10, 2003

Lowrez

Discussion Starter · Aug 6, 2003

Minor clarification

CE (French - Conformité Européenne) is not a Bristish racing standard, but is the mark required for all products available for sale in Europe. The CE Markings Directive dates back to '93 and guarantees that a product meets the agreed upon laws and standards for its given product type. Cell phones, motorcycle helmets, and childrens toys all have CE markings. It saves companies the hassle of dealing with dozens of different standards testing.

One of the big "features" of the current CE helmet mark is that it requires random batch testing along with new design testing to insure the helmets produced match up with the prototypes.

Now, is it better than Snell 2000? Is DOT worthless? From what I can gather, there is little debate that the CE standard is very difficult. If only because those pesky German insurance companies keep doing research into helment effectiveness and want helmets that will save their customers (and in return their pocket books). There is less agreement, though, that this actually makes for a better helmet.

I would also note as something of a tangent, in other helmet related sports (bicycling, snow boarding, rock climbing) people tend to ignore Snell ratings and look for the CE mark.

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seruzawa

· #21 · Aug 7, 2003

Re: HEY!

Because a higher standard always includes the lower standard and Federal Bureaucrats always have their heads fully implanted where the sun don't shine.

It's simple physics. Some of the DOT helmets with a softer lining absorb impact better at lower speed than the Snells. At racing speeds those DOT helmts could allow the skull to crush up against the helmet's outer shell while the Snell's stiffer lining would protect the brain enough for it to survive in a tank.

The point was that there was not necessarily any advantage to wearing a Snell helmet if you kept your speeds below 100 mph.

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The_Aerodynamic_Head

· #22 · Aug 9, 2003

The AMA does not report any findings because they are spending your dues trying to overturn helmet legislation everywhere they see it. Any findings that helmets save lives on the street would therefore put them in rather a sticky wicket. The track is a different story, largely because the AMA (ever the legally aware) don't want the liability of unhelmeted racers.

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The_Aerodynamic_Head

· #23 · Aug 9, 2003

Re: While we're on the topic

Snell accept only full-face helmets. Period. No swing-up helmet made is even considered for testing by Snell, because they think that the hinge on the "jaw" portion cannot be considered structural, therfore making the helmet really a 3/4 helmet, adn tehrfore automatically not Snell-compliant, so they don't bother.

As a clarification, the Hurt report apparently found that in 90+ percent of all head impacts, first contact with the ground (not necessarily the first contact, just the first contact with the ground) happened in two places: on the chinbar, just to the left of center, and just to the right of center. It's not hard to imagine a "hinge" roughly at ear-level being torqued off by such an impact.

--Looking for Avogadro? Call 1-800-2.3x10^23

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obandoj

· #24 · Aug 10, 2003

I agree with you even as an AMA member!

They serve other good roles, but helmet policy is not one of them.

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obandoj

· #25 · Aug 10, 2003

I guess you allready had your crash ehhhhh?

Or you are smokingU something very, very, good!

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