When you are looking to buy a Motorcycle Helmet, safety needs to be top priority. It is necessary to learn how to choose a motorcycle helmet that protects your brain. Here we look at some important factors when choosing a helmet and it should not just be on expense and comfort.
The vice-president of Bell Helmets, Chris Sackett makes the advice: 
“Dress for cash, not for the ride.” In other words, money should not be the main deciding indicator.
The brain is one of the most complex and delicate organs in the body with sudden vibrations can do damage. Therefore, it is vital to invest your time and effort in a helmet that fits well and one that meets the highest of regulator safety standards.
Full face helmets are recommended as the greater the coverage of the head and face then the better. This will make sure that you are going to have greater protection. This can be unpopular with many motorcyclists as we all love to feel the atmosphere of the road and be at one with the environment.
Does a Helmet pass Safety Standards?
The first thing you will want to do is look at the Safety standards committee or governmental regularity body in your country to determine the helmet passes the safety requirements. For example, if you are in the EU or Britain you can look at the following SHARP Website to check the helmet, this is the easiest thing to do at first.
This website is run by the Department of Transport and will highlight which standards a helmet meets for independent crash tests that were done. This is shown by the number of stars a helmet gets, the more stars then the safer a helmet is.
“I would buy a helmet that is worth as much as my head,
but they don’t make one that expensive.”
Does the Helmet Fit?
A helmet that fits well is extremely important. If it does not fit and is loose then it will not protect you in a crash. This can happen up to 12 percent of crashes where the helmet failed to protect due to it being too loose or not fitted correctly. In addition, it is going to cause fatigue, neck and head pains and a lot of buffeting.
So you don’t want the helmet moving at all, this means that a tight fitting of almost uncomfortable should be achieved. The padding between the helmet and the head must not be allowed to move.
Color and Visibility
One thing that can be overlooked is the design or style and the color of a motorcycle helmet. We all love the many different shades of grey or wearing black, but you want to be wearing a helmet that is visible to others on the road.
Dark colors will not always show up well, so make sure the contrast of different colors and styles shows to other drivers and pedestrians.
Noise Pollution
I keep seeing overlooked, again and again on reviews on safety is the noise levels you will experience. People seem to stop at the above checklist but never include what exposure your ears and brain will have.
Prolong experience to constant high decibels will eventually damage the ears and even have impacts on the brain.
Load noises can be a cumulative damaging to the hearing organs. Since the volume of the sounds and the period of time of exposure can put your ears at risk from damage.
The level of noise is observed in decibels that is dB measurement unit for short. The higher that the decibel level is then the louder the noise. So if you experience sounds that are greater than 85 dB this could do permanent hearing damage. However, it is important to know that the body’s hearing can experience injuries not just with a sudden load noise but also a continual exposure of high decibel levels.
What is Considered too Load?
The following chart with examples, can be observed on what is not acceptable to being acceptable. This is based on everyday noise levels around you.
Can Hurt / Painful
- 150 dB, Load explosions.
- 140 dB, Weapons such as guns, an airline plane.
- 130 dB, Drilling machine.
- 120 dB, A siren.
Loud to the Extreme
- 110 dB, Playing stereo player with headphones, a chain saw.
- 100 dB, A Gasoline or Petrol lawn mower.
- 90 dB, A passing large vehicle or… a motorcycle!
Quite Loud
- 90 – 80 dB, Kitchen blender.
- 70 dB, Vacuum cleaner, heavy traffic.
Mild Noise
- 60 – 50 dB, Moderate rainfall, dishwasher.
Quiet
- 30 dB, Such as whispering and a quiet library.
Choosing a Quiet Helmet
This is why it is important to make sure that you look for the best motorcycle helmet that offers hearing protection and reducing the buffeting when travelling at high speeds. While we want to have a helmet without needed to wear earplugs, it is highly recommended to wear them for travelling extended periods of time.
It is also best to wear a full faced motorcycle helmet for maximum protection from wind noise and to reduce impact from physical injury during a fall and/or accident.
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