Re: [ST] RE : Junk helmets, was Helmet Recommendation

["Emile Nossin" <Emile@xxxxxxxxxx>]

>From: Matthew Heyer
>Emile - if I am recalling correctly, the test you speak of was
>strictly for flip-open helmets, correct? 

Yep.

>I'm not saying anything other than to be careful extrapolating
>data outside of it's test realm.  If I needed to speculate, I 
>could see where the extra cost in materials for the hinges and
>mechanisms in the flip-open helmets would cause a safer helmet
>to be more expensive.  But I won't wear a flip-open.

I wasn't extrapolating, nor concluding. Just pointing out that
there is a correlation in safety and price with those helmets (not
completely, the cheapest isn't the worst). You are speculating that
the difference in safety was purely because of chin mechanisms, but
that wasn't the case.

The crash testing was done at ADAC, the German national test lab.
They bought 8 helmets from each model. Two of those would be for
road testing (comfort etc), the others "crashed" in the lab. So
in total they bought 80 helmets (8x10 models).

Central at the crash testing was how strong a helmet would be
when dampening a blow or hit. For this the ADAC has a drop-
teststand. Blows are send to the helmet at 27 km/h and they
simulate on three different spots the impact of a level street
or sidewalk edge. On top of that (!) the Tüv of Rheinland tested
what a blow to the chin section would do. All this data was
calculated into estimated damage to the head in those situations.
Finally the helmets were weighed; the heavier they are, the more
force they will put on the spinal area in the neck at a collision.
This was all measured according to the ECE-R 22.05 norm.

You also suggest that flip up helmets would not be safe enough,
but from other tests I read that conclusion is not justified.
In Germany / Europe the BMW (made by Schuberth) flip up helmet
is approved for racing. It's just that usually these kinds of
helmets are not tested or certified for track racing (snell)
because of demand.

The helmet test goes on with testing comfort, handling, visibility,
practicality, ease of maintenance, noise etc etc.

So yes, it seems there is a difference in the helmet scale protection
(not just the chin). And yes, there is a difference in cheaper and
more expensive helmets for just that area (and others of course),
with exceptions proving the rule of course.

Emile
www.piloot.com

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