When nonstandard helmets are let into the market, we are letting people down. People rely on certification labels and brands, but not all helmets have them, and not all labels are trustworthy. 11 helmets were bought from local shops or given by riders to NGO members of the Alliance in Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and Vietnam. They are typical of helmets commonly worn in those countries. These helmets were taken to an accredited laboratory for testing, with funding from FIA Foundation and technical expertise from Galeatus. The results provide clear, visual evidence: some helmets had no retention system; some broke apart; none of these helmets would provide adequate protection in a crash.
The following tests reflect international standards used to evaluate whether a helmet provides the minimum level of protection in a crash. A helmet should protect, not pretend. The helmets underwent three tests that are common to almost all helmet standards around the world:
In this test, a hook and strap are attached to the back of the helmet, which is placed on a model headform, designed to be a similar size, shape, and weight as a human head (test headform).
A weight is released from a fixed height, creating a sudden jerking force that tries to pull the helmet off the headform. Measurements are then taken to see how much the helmet moves.
This test checks whether the helmet would stay on if a rider’s head suddenly whipped forward and then fell to the ground—a typical movement when a rider crashes.
This tests whether the strap and buckle on the helmet (retention system) remain intact and keep the helmet on the rider’s head when subjected to typical crash forces.
The helmet is attached to a test headform, and the buckle is fastened beneath the chin. A weight is then dropped from a fixed height, and the strength and elongation (how much it stretches) of the retention system are measured. If the retention system breaks or the straps stretch too much, the helmet would likely come off in the event of a crash.
The helmet is secured to a test headform and dropped from a specific height onto a flat surface. It simulates the impact that a motorcycle rider might sustain when thrown off their bike into the air and then falling to the ground, a typical situation in a crash.
A three-dimensional accelerometer inside the test headform measures how much of the force of the crash is absorbed by the helmet, thus preventing those forces from being applied to the skull and brain.
A safe helmet, with a strong outer shell and a good energy-absorbing layer (the padded layer inside the helmet), would distribute the force of the crash and absorb the impact in the helmet, so that it didn’t reach the rider’s head inside the helmet. An unsafe helmet would not be able to absorb all the energy of the crash, and therefore, the forces would transmit directly to the rider’s head, causing serious injury.
Watch the Stability Test / Retention System Test / Impact Attenuation Test
Test results by type of safety test
Price range of the helmets
Where the helmets were purchased
