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A number of factors come into play for a rider when considering
a new helmet purchase. One factor all riders must consider,
and the number one reason to wear a helmet in the first
place, remains safety.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), in 2003, when comparing mile for mile, motorcycle
riders faced a 32 percent greater likelihood of dying in
a wreck compared to drivers in a car. In fact, the simple
practice of wearing a helmet can dramatically reduce the
number of road fatalities for cycle riders. The NHTSA estimates
that between 1984 and 2004, nearly 11,000 motorcyclists
would be alive today if they were wearing a helmet while
riding.
Race and Department of Transportation (DOT) ranking remain
an industry standard by which customers can judge the safety "effectiveness" of
a helmet. But what do the DOT and Race standards mean
for the average rider?
For starters, these ratings were created to offer objective
criteria for certifying helmet safety. As a result, instead
of relying on what a manufacturer or dealer might tell
a buyer, now the buyer can identify real criteria in judging
the measure of protection offered by a particular helmet.
But what testing procedures are employed in determining
that criteria? Let's begin with the DOT rating.
DOT Rating
The DOT performs a straight forward impact test. Using
a simulated head placed inside a helmet, testers drop the
helmet from a height of ten feet. The head cannot receive
more than 400 G-force units on impact. A G-force unit measures
the force of gravity exerted against an object in motion.
Now here's the kicker with DOT rated helmets--manufacturers
don't need to test their helmets in order to claim a DOT
rating! A helmet manufacturer simply needs to feel that
a helmet is meeting the DOT specifications to brand it
as "DOT rated." The DOT might occasionally pull
helmets to perform testing, but the majority of helmets
sold as DOT certified do not undergo any level of testing.
Race Rating
The Race certification stands in rigorous contrast to
DOT specifications. Helmet manufacturers voluntarily submit
their products to the Race evaluation service and pay
for the testing procedures. These procedures are extensive
and include seven test types, from impact to shell penetration
tests to flame resistance testing. The type and degree
of testing is dependent on the type of helmet and its application.
Race cites the following areas as critical in helmet
safety:
* Impact management: how well the helmet protects against
collisions with large objects;
* Helmet positional stability: whether the helmet will be in place, on the
head, when it's needed;
* Retention system strength: whether the chin straps are sufficiently strong
enough to hold the helmet throughout a head impact; and
* Extent of protection: the area of the head protected by the helmet.
Race Memorial Foundation, Inc. ( 2005). 2005 Standard
for Protective Headgear, 4.
In short, Race offers the highest certification standards
regarding helmet safety. But a buyer will pay a higher
price for Race certified helmets, as the added costs of
production and testing add to the overall value of the
helmet.
Safety Matters
A number of points exist in the mind of a buyer when considering
a helmet purchase. Style, color, fit, and comfort are extremely
important factors when purchasing a helmet. Price is also
a consideration for many buyers. However, safety should
be paramount when purchasing a helmet. If you scrimp too
much on price, you might get a nice looking helmet that
unfortunately doesn't hold up in those critical moments.
So take the time, do your homework, and find a helmet that
will keep you alive and allow you to keep riding for years
to come.
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Motorcycle
helmets are very important in keeping people alive. In
fact, there is nothing that will help you more in a crash
situation than wearing one. A motorcycle helmet protects
the head, and is also used as a face shield, for ear
protection, and for intercom purposes.
Modern helmets are made from plastics, and are often
reinforced with Kevlar or a carbon fiber. For comfort
and protection they generally have fabric and foam interiors.
During a crash situation, a motorcycle helmet will break,
which is what they are designed to do. In essence, the
helmet will absorb the energy and impact of the fall
instead of the rider’s skull. As a result, they
don’t offer much protection after their first impact.
An impact may come from other reasons outside of a crash
situation, ie. dropping the helmet from a high place,
which may not cause any external damage. As a rule, helmets
should be replaced after any type of major impact. But,
it’s a good idea to replace it after three to four
years, regardless of whether it has sustained impact
or not; it’s a good safeguard.
There are three types of motorcycle helmets; depending
on how much protection you are looking for:
• Full-face helmet: covers the entire head, including
the base of the skull. These helmets usually have a protective
section that covers the chin as well. A plastic shield
covers the eyes. The obvious benefit of a full-face helmet
is its level of protection. The drawbacks are an increased
level of heat and reduced level of hearing.
• 3/4 face helmet: covers the back of the skull,
but doesn’t have chin protection. Some offer a
visor, which blocks out bright sunlight or blinding headlights.
A 3/4 face helmet provides similar rear protection as
a full-face helmet, but not much protection for the face.
• 1/2 helmet: provides the least amount of coverage
generally allowed by law in the US. All of these types
of helmets are secured by a chin strap, which offers
some level of protection by keeping the helmet on the
head.
More popular since mandatory helmet legislation was
passed are "beanies", which are not certified
and are used to by riders to make it appear that they
are complying with the law. Such helmets are smaller
and lighter than others and usually have a cool, sleek
appearance. They are not good for crash protection because
they lack the foam layer that protects the rider’s
brain.
A typical motorcycle helmet has two major protective
mechanisms:
• An outer shell that is made of acrylonitrile
butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic, fiberglass or Kevlar.
It is usually fairly thin. The purpose of this hard outer
shell is to prevent penetration of the helmet by a pointed
object that could puncture the skull. It also provides
structure to the inner liner so it does not disintegrate
when it hits concrete, pavement or any other hard surface.
The foams used on motorcycle helmets usually have very
little resistance to penetration and abrasion.
• A thick, soft inner liner made of expanded polystyrene
foam or expanded polypropylene foam. The purpose of the
foam liner is to crush during impact, which increases
the distance and time over which the helmet stops, reducing
its acceleration.
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There are various types of motorcycle helmets available
in the markets and the main purpose of a helmet is to
protect the rider from head injury. The well-known and
leading motorcycle brands that are available in the market
are Bolle, Nolan, Honda, Yamaha, Fox, Vega, Giro, Suzuki,
Acerbic, Cobra, Jones and the Icon.
Motorcycle helmets were introduced to cater for safety
of the rider on roads. Wearing of helmet is compulsory
in most of the countries. With helmet the rider feels
secured and protects him from fatal accidents.
The main parameters of helmet are proper ventilation
for cooling, technical make, light in weight and design
and the shape along with the style. The types of motorcycle
helmets include flip up motorcycle helmet, open face
helmet, half helmets and the full-face helmets. Nowadays,
helmets are available for all types of riding events
such as snowmobile events, dirt bike motorcycle events
and for automotive motorcycle events.
While choosing a motorcycle helmet, one needs to consider
many factors that enable you to select good helmet. Some
of the important factors are as follows.
• The color of the helmet should match with your
motorcycle; otherwise the different combination will
look odd.
• The motorcycle helmet should be of good quality
and made of strong sturdy material to protect your head
in case of accident.
• It should properly fit and should not either
over size or under size.
• The motorcycle should satisfy and be approved
from the authorized government agencies.
• The motorcycle helmet should allow you see the
peripheral vision so that chances of accidents are less.
• Choose such type of helmet that is bright in
color so that it is visible to others in night.
• While selecting motorcycle helmets safety matters
are to be concerned first and then style and color.
Doo Rags
Doo rags are as important as the motorcycle helmets.
A Doo rag is a piece of fine cloth that is used for covering
the head while riding motorcycles. This tying of Doo
rags started in 1930 by people of Africa and America.
The main purpose of Doo rags during that period was to
protect chemically processed hairs. During those days,
they were made from cotton or women stocking were used
as a Doo rag. But now days they are made from fine quality
polyester.
It is believed that civil war slaves in American culture
introduced the Doo rags and it is closely related to
the culture of Afro-American. The main artist that helped
Doo rags to get popular is the LL Cool and Mr. Nelly
as they portrayed the Doo rags in their paintings.
The Doo rags are worn under the helmets and they absorb
excess sweat in summer and keep the rider’s head
cool. Doo rags also enable the motorcycle helmets to
fit properly and do not allow moving of the helmet to
from its place in case of motor racing. These Doo rags
also protect your hairs from hot Sun and allow the rider
to have safe ride as hairs does not obstruct the vision
of the rider while driving at speed. Doo rags are available
in various colors and shapes. The common color preferred
in selecting Doo rag is black.
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