Crash Helmet

Helmet use saves lives

Why Wear A Safety Helmet?

A safety helmet is one of the most important items of personal protective equipment used by motorcycle riders primarily to protect the head against impact.Helmets won't prevent accidents, but they clearly will cut down on deaths and injuries when collisions occur.

Facts about Helmet :

1. It should not obstruct vision.
2. It should not impair with hearing.
3. It should be light weight.
4. It should not cause skin diseases.
5. It should not increase the probability of neck injuries.

Kinds of helmets to be used : It should have a thick padding of thermocole- at least 20 mm- which must extend to the sides of the head. A full face helmet is safer by all means.
Components of the helmet and their roles :

The Shell : The shell of a helmet is an injection molded thermoplastic or a pressure molded thermoset that is reinforced with glass fibers or made of fiber glass.

1. It absorbs energy in an impact.
2. It distributes local forces from an impact.
3. It allows sliding on road surfaces.
4. It protects the face and temples.

The foam liner : This is a molding of polystyrene beads or polyurethane foam. It provides a stopping distance for the head. The foam can compress by 90% during an impact, although it recovers partially afterwards. But this helps increase the stopping distance thus reducing the peak deceleration of the head. It also protects as much as possible of the head.

Proper strapping system : It is essential to wear a well-fitting helmet for the effective working of chinstrap system. To test if the helmet fits your head properly, tightly fasten the chinstrap and then pull helmet off forward by gripping the rear and then pulling. The strap must be threaded correctly so that the buckle locks the strap when it is pulled from the chin side. The strap must be pulled as tight as is bearable under the chin.

Section 129 Motor Vehicles Act '88

Wearing of Protective Headgear: Every person driving or riding otherwise than in a side car, on a motor cycle of any class or description, shall, while in a public place, wear protective headgear conforming to the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards: Provided that the provisions of this section shall not apply to a person who is a sikh, if he is, while driving or riding on the motorcycle, in a public place, wearing a turban: Provided further that the state government may, by such rules, provide for such exceptions as it may think fit.

Explanation: 'protective headgear' means a helmet which-

 By virtue of its shape, material and construction, could reasonably be expected to afford to the person driving or riding on a motorcycle a degree of protection from injury in the event of an accident; and

1. Is securely fastened to the head of the wearer by means of straps or other fastenings provided on the headgear.