NYT straps on its helmet and wades into the brain bucket controversy
There's a bit of controversy going on in the helmet world, and it has a direct impact – pun intended – on every motorcycle rider trying to protect his or her head while looking for the best helmet to buy. All helmets approved for sale in the United States are tested and approved by the Department of Transportation, and wear a DOT sticker to certify the fact. The issue is with the additional SNELL Memorial Foundation certification that some helmets have.
According to The New York Times, in order to attain the SNELL M2005 certification, a helmet needs to be able to withstand that impact of a small steel sphere, twice, with the headform inside the helmet experiencing less than 300 times the force of gravity (300 g's). That's a huge amount of force, and it has led to SNELL M2005 helmets being so exceptionally rigid that some head injury researchers believe riders are suffering brain damage because of it. Also, SNELL doesn't use headforms of different weights, so riders with small heads can especially disadvantaged because of the disproportionate forces they'll encounter in such a firm helmet.
Some helmet companies and doctors and the U.S. and European helmet certification authorities believe that the SNELL M2005 test is obsolete, and that helmets should be "softer, softer, softer." SNELL has admitted to the need to update its test, and will be unveiling the M2010 standard shortly. The problem is that the M2005 standard helmets will continue to be sold in America until 2012. They won't be able to be sold in Europe until SNELL re-engineers its test to allow for more forgiving headgear. For you riders out there, do your homework, ask around, and make sure to buy the helmet that's right for you. A cranium is a terrible thing to waste.
[Source: The New York Times | Image: SNELL Memorial Foundation]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
mbslrm 4:04PM (9/28/2009)
Ouch... I would really hate to be in a collision with one of those...
Maybe they should start using those dummies with sensors...
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slowd16 4:12PM (9/28/2009)
I got in a motorcycle accident a year ago and had a Snell certified helmet on. My brains would of been all over the road with out it and my head hit the ground so hard my face shield poped off. Hospital did a scan of my head and was fine. I think the helmets are fine. I didn't even realize I hit my head til after I took the helmet off and saw how banged up it was.
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Thomas 4:14PM (9/28/2009)
Glad to hear that you made it out as good as you did. Keep that helmet on.
Teryl 7:47PM (9/28/2009)
I had a similar experience and am also glad I had a snell certified helmet. If I hadn't, then I probably would have serious facial damage. All that ended up wrong to my head was my cap on my tooth popped off. It has done that a few times before though.
the4thheat 8:52PM (9/28/2009)
It's not that you can't survive crashes in a Snell helmet, obviously wearing a helmet of any sort is going to be better than smashing your face or skull into the ground. But in more serious crashes the fact that it's so stiff is going to make it hard for the helmet to absorb energy like car crumple zones do.
In theory in very, very, very, high speed impacts the Snell would do better than the softer helmets since it would finally crumple but basically the point is that at 300G's your brain is pretty screwed regardless so the protection is pointless.
Anyways in most motorcycle accidents the most common impact is from being thrown then your head accelerating from gravity and hitting the ground.
Dan 4:17PM (9/28/2009)
How can you do this article without linking to the Motorcyclist article (a few years old now) that started the controversy?
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html
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Tim 4:25PM (9/28/2009)
Glad you guys linked that Motorcyclist article. It's one of the best pieces of motojournalism I've ever read. I've used it many times when discussing helmets with other riders.
mk15 4:37PM (9/28/2009)
Thanks for the link. It's a long but very good read.
travisty 4:18PM (9/28/2009)
I really respect Dave Thom's position on this:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html
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travisty 4:19PM (9/28/2009)
Crap, sniped by Dan...
Dan 4:41PM (9/28/2009)
it happens to the best of us
Willute 7:00PM (9/28/2009)
Thanks to both of you. That was a great article, came to mind immediately.
geo.stewart 4:21PM (9/28/2009)
was going to say that not all craniums are a thing to waste but someone would not take it as lightly as it is offered...
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MajorGeek 4:24PM (9/28/2009)
Slowd, and I have friends who have died with their helmet on as well. I even had my motorcycle destroyed when I was a kid when 2 buddies borrowed it and took a 35 mph curve at over 65 mph, the guy whos helmet flew off is fine although a couple more inches and he would have been impaled on a constructionmstake, the guy whos helmet stayed on is brain injured and scarred for life, in part because his shield shattered into his face. Don't be fooled by the politics, driving a motorcycle is risky. Period. A crash requires a coin flip, glad you won the toss.
It's funny how whenever a motorcyclist dies with a helmet on, even at in a 30 MPH crash, that that fact is left out, but if my friend had not had her helmet on, it would have been loudly mentioned:
http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/Driver-ticketed-in-deadly-motorcycle-crash/U0_-Epo_nEGTMNAzb64q0g.cspx
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ehisforadam 4:56PM (9/28/2009)
And people die wearing seat belts and survive when they aren't wearing them. Safety devices are meant to increase your chances of living or to reduce injury, not make you 100% safe. Personally, I'd rather wear the gear.
MajorGeek 5:18PM (9/28/2009)
To each his own and I agree but you rarely crash a motorcycle and simply walk away. I never wore a seatbelt until the cars started beeping at me. Of course, seat belts were also debateable once, but the addition of air bags saves more lives then ever before. It also makes people feel safer in their vehicles, another reason for the additional motorcycle accidents, if you ask me. My motorcycle is sold in the next 30 minutes, so I guess it don't matter to me anymore.
jim 4:27PM (9/28/2009)
From my own research I want a helmet that at least meets ECE 22-05, the European standard. It is possible for a helmet to meet both Snell and ECE 22-05 (DOT is a given in the US) and that is my recommendation to anyone who asks.
The Snell Foundation is a fine organization and have contributed greatly to motorcycle and motor sports safety, but they did fall behind the brain injury research in the M2005 standards, but we should be glad they are addressing that research in the latest version.
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jim 4:28PM (9/28/2009)
BTW: if you're research helmets I'd suggest you review the SHARP website (http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/), produced by the UK equivalent to the US Dept of Transportation.
Brian P 5:09PM (9/28/2009)
My own preference has been to buy helmets that meet ECE2205 and *don't* meet Snell ... there are a number of European brands that are like this.
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banzairx7 4:46PM (9/28/2009)
I use the SHARP ratings that jim posted. i just replaced my helmet because of those ratings. My original KBC helmet had a SNELL approval but only garnered a 1 star crash rating from SHARP. My new AGV helmet is only DOT approved and gets a 5 star rating. SNELL is great for race car crashes, what it was originally intended, not so good for motorcycle crashes.
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