Two really good pieces on helmet safety standards

[TK4]

Both are long reads, but worth it if you have the time -

https://cdnmedia.endeavorsuite.com/images//organizations/2682aa3d-2a07-4b6b-9cd0-a64ae170cf2d/Blowing%20the%20lid%20off.pdf

and -

https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/wp-content/themes/sharp2017/pdfs/COST-327-Motorcycle-Safety-Helmets-Final-report.pdf

Let the flaming begin...

 

[Renboy]

Everyone should read the first article, at 327 pages, the second one is a novel, not an article. I genuinely wish this could be updated to include the newer SNELL certifications though. Anyone know if they've lowered the G tolerances since 2005?

 

[TK4]

Everyone should read the first article, at 327 pages, the second one is a novel, not an article. I genuinely wish this could be updated to include the newer SNELL certifications though. Anyone know if they've lowered the G tolerances since 2005?

There were updates in 2015 and 2020. New ones on the way for 2025.

Snell helmets certification - Standards

With ECE 22.06 ( and FRHPhe-01 for elite competition) seeming to take precedence world wide it seems fewer and fewer manufacturers care much about Snell.

 

[Brian P]

Everyone should read the first article, at 327 pages, the second one is a novel, not an article. I genuinely wish this could be updated to include the newer SNELL certifications though. Anyone know if they've lowered the G tolerances since 2005?

The first article is getting to be pretty old. If I remember right, it wasn't received favourably at all by the Snell Foundation, but Snell ended up making some changes in subsequent versions of this standard. It's still a double-impact test - even for 2025 ... looked for, and spotted, that requirement still in there. There's a chart of how much each head-form is supposed to weigh, so perhaps they clued in that a smaller head weighs less and warrants more cushioning.

Quick scan of the 2025 document linked to above, indicates a 275 G limit but it's not quite so simple, there's a chart with some differing (slightly lower) numbers in there. I did not attempt to figure out which table entry is for what, but I've seen enough. Since that original Motorcyclist article, I have bought only ECE 22.05 helmets. Based on what I just read of the new 2025 Snell specification, going forward I will only buy ECE 22.06 or FIM helmets.