A question about standards in Helmets (DOT/SNELL vs ECE/ONU 2205)

Now that I have open this can of worms, what I am trying to figure out is why a helmet with ECE/ONU 2205 certification cannot be purchased the in USA that supports DOT/SNELL ??

Fom what I hear the ECE/ONU 2205 is a higher standard than DOT (well heck SNELL is too but you can buy those here..(yes I know a Snell is always a DOT first)

It is not DOT. It has not been tested and proven to meet DOT standards. It is accepted the Euro spec is better. But the guvment will not accept it without their own testing being done. They will not rubber stamp a "Foreign" specification. There might be some point at which the Euro spec is lower but it is a control for your own good thing.

We see it all the time you ave to recertify items that come from a foriegn jurisdiction even if the rules they used are the same verbatum. You have to prove it complies.

My Schuberth Concept is both DOT and ECE certified. It's a matter of paperwork; an ECE helmet should easily meet DOT standards, but the maker still has to fill out the forms. (No gov't testing for DOT, which is why some folks think it's not good enough.)

Snell's a different matter. IIRC to get Snell the helmet's energy-absorbing liner ends up having to be harder than is best for ECE. There's considerable argument about which is a "better" standard.

I try to stay away from Snell-certified helmets.

It's all about the deceleration rate of your head when you hit something, because brain damage results from your brain impacting the inside of your skull when your head suddenly stops, such as when you hit the ground.

The Snell standard includes the ability to protect against more than one impact. For example, if your head hits the ground, then runs into the curb. Sounds good, except that it means that for a specific thickness of styrofoam, all of the deceleration must occur within half the styrofoam thickness so that half the thickness remains for the second impact. Thus more energy is transferred to your head than if you have the full thickness of the styrofoam absorbing the impact. As mentioned in the previous message, this is accomplished using harder styrofoam in Snell-certified helmets.

Studies have shown that most motorcycle accidents result in a single head impact. Actually, your head may hit a couple of times, but it's the first impact that typically involves severe energy. So, in playing the what-if odds, the probability is weighted towards protecting against a single hard impact, versus multiple hard impacts. In a single impact, the DOT non-Snell helmet will provide greater protection.

This is discussed in great detail at http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/, including comments from Dr. Harry Hurt, who has been the guru of gurus for motorcycle safety studies for decades.

So, everyone has an opinion, but for my money, I buy DOT non-Snell helmets. I've been down twice in the past 30 years, and fortunately was wearing a full-face helmet both times.

Rick Federmann
Cedar park, Texas

Certification of helmets and opinions get sticky. Partly because it involves the government and partly opinion. Unfortunately there have been very few really good tests or studies done. I would tend to agree that Snell rated helmets are probably not good enough at absorbing energy. It is also tough to find a good all round helmet that isn't Snell. I have worn Shoei for years as it is a good, quiet, comfortable helmet that I can afford. It is also Snell rated good or bad. I have been looking for a new one as mine is old and I gravitate back to the Shoei. I have looked everything from $100 to $700.

Most important is to wear one ALL the time.

After all at a certain point, all the helmet does is keep you pretty for the viewing.

There is nothing wrong with any of the standards. It's just that each is designed to deal with a different type of impact. Bottom line in my book: anytime someone sets a standard they are making compromises of some sort.

If you know what type of wreck/impact you will have ahead of time then you can pick the right helmet for that incident. Other than that, read up on each standard and then decide for yourself which standard is the best compromise for you and your type of riding.

Carl