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| A proper fitting helmet |
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Author: AMA Views: 3993 Votes: 0 |
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The following article is provided with the permission of the American Motorcycle Association (AMA). For information on the AMA please go to their website www.AMADirectLink.com or contact them at The Inside Story on Helmets American Motorcyclist magazine, June 2005 A PROPER-FITTING HELMET is the most important piece of safety gear you….can wear.
Scrimping here is definitely a bad idea. That’s because a quality helmet is designed to protect the single most important part of your body with several layers of defense.
To start with, the hard outer shell is designed to spread the force of an impact over a large area. Then there’s a softer inner layer, usually made of expanded polystyrene, the stuff that looks like Styroform. When the outside of the helmet suddenly stops, the rider’s head keeps moving, and this layer crushes, bringing it to a more gentle stop.
Key features of a helmet also include a foam-padded comfort liner, which is what you see when you look inside a helmet, as well as a strap, usually with D-rings, to hold the helmet on.
You’ll want to make sure the helmet you’re buying has passed tests to prove that all that stuff works. Luckily, there’s an easy way to check: Just look for the sticker.
Check the inside and outside of the helmet for a sticker from the federal Department of Transportation (DOT), the Snell Memorial Foundation, or the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). DOT certification will be required…..use the helmet…on the street.
We don’t recommend buying a used helmet because you don’t know its history. Many types of damage that could seriously compromise a helmet’s ability to protect your head leave no visible evidence that the helmet has been hit.
Last update: 05:11 PM Wednesday, August 3, 2005 |
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