HARD-HEADED INVESTIGATIONS

I have done some digging on the subject of crash helmets, inspired by one of Frank’s musings on the RC Facebook group. After Frank had a big accident in 1989, he asked one of the surgeons whether things would have been better if he’d worn a full-face. The surgeon’s reply was negative: ‘I would have been putting wires in your neck if you’d been wearing a heavier helmet.’

As someone who saved up in 1973 to buy one of the more affordable full-face crash helmets, I wondered about the rationale behind an apparent trade-off between the additional perceived safety of a full-face helmet vs the additional weight. So began my investigation. I set out to answer three questions:

• Are full-face helmets safer than open-face?

• Is crash helmet weight a factor in the severity and type of injury?

• Where do flip-up crash helmets fit in?

Most studies are clear that full-face crash helmets protect better than open-face from injuries to facial bones and teeth. Also, open-face crash helmets are more than twice as likely as full-face ones to become detached during an accident. Most studies did not consider the effect of the weight of the crash helmet, however.

I found two studies that give strong indications of maximum weights above which severe spinal injuries are more likely. Taking a conservative approach, 1500g would be the maximum weight of crash helmet to aim for to reduce the risk of severe neck injury. So there is good scientific evidence to indicate that Frank’s surgeon made a valid point about higher weight increasing the risk of severe neck injury in an accident.

There’s much more detail from my research in the magazine of the Exeter Classic Motorcycle Club, but in summary:

• Full face crash helmets are safest

• Heavier crash helmets (over 1500g) have an increased risk of causing severe neck injuries at the base of the skull

• When choosing a crash helmet, check the UK government’s Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme for impact ratings and weight

• In tests the proportion of flip-up helmets staying shut on impact varies greatly. Again, check the SHARP database

I’m not here to tell you which type of crash helmet to wear. However, there is no need to do away with the clear safety advantages of a full-face crash helmet just because of the weight. In my view translating reduced weight into only using an open-face crash helmet carries unnecessary additional risk. Using one of the many lightweight (less than 1500g) full-face crash helmets, which are readily available, easily avoids the extra risk.

Andy Heathwood, member

Thanks for this, Andy, and I hope my lengthy reply to you was useful. It’s a huge subject, and was a conversation which rumbled on over the months I was in hospital. Despite trying out loads of full-face helmets down the years, I can’t find one which is comfortable and allows me to close my prognathous jaw, sadly. Frank W