QuestionHello. I am familar with DOT standards with helmets. But it seems that a "novelty" helmet has to provide some sort of protection. What do you think?
AnswerR,
Thanks for the question.
In regards to "novelty" helmets, which usually refers to "beanie" type or just small, more form-fitting helmets, I will refer you to the old saying:
"Got a $10 head? Then get a $10 helmet."
Beyond witty sayisms, there's a reason novelty helmets are not DOT certified: they don't pass DOT impact and shock absorption tests. As to whether they provide "some sort" of protection, I'm sure the case can be made that they do provide a minimal amount of protection against best-possible crash scenarios. Depending on what kind of crash you are in, a non-DOT helmet (say, a beanie or thin half-shell) may prevent an abrasion injury to the top of the head in a "sliding" type of crash, but that is about the rarest type of injury a motorcyclists head receives in an accident.
Far more common, and far more deadly, is the BFT injury: Blunt Force Trauma. This is tech speak for Hitting Your Head Really Really Hard. What a DOT helmet does is spread out the energy aimed at your head (the Blunt Force part). That way you can avoid the Trauma part, which usually results in full or partial paralysis, loss of memory, disfigurement, drooling, life-long use of diapers, full-time care by family or state institutions, or at worst, brain death and fatality.
You see, the human head- the skull and face- is designed by evolution to protect the brain from impacts up to 10mph- which is how fast most people can run flat out. Above that, impacts to the head will (not maybe) result in brain damage or death. DOT and Snell standards will protect your head up to about 30mph, and of course provide excellent abrasion (sliding) protection, but again, only up to 30mph. Above that, your brain gets injured just from the rapid decelleration (stopping force) of the impact. Brains are very sensitive, as you may well imagine. Also, adult brains do not "heal up" like those of children, so injuries are usually very permanent.
As I note above, even DOT and Snell approved helmets are only enhanced "protection". Hit your head hard enough, and you're still either dead or have severe problems. Now degrade that protection with a novelty helmet, and you really only get a protection level a bit above a Red Sox baseball cap.
I know that helmets are big, bulky, dorky looking and somewhat uncool for some kinds of riders. But wearing one is a tiny, tiny price to pay against the results of a crash without one or with a crappy one. I, like most riders, wish someone could develop a more form-fitting, lighter weight, more stylish and less wonky helmet, but for the moment, if you are serious about living through a motorcycle accident, you need to wear a full-face DOT approved helmet.
I know the cops are letting people slide by with beanies and "novelty" helmets, mostly because they have better things to do (and rightfully so). What level of protection you choose is, at this time, still a personal choice. After seeing truly horrific crash results and the ruined lives of riders and their families from making a poor choice, I always wear a full-spec skid lid and other protective gear. I hope you will do the same.
Ride smart, ride safe,
Bill Roberson
www.greatoldbikes.com
