Choosing the right Motorcycle helmet can make a difference....

. ...between surviving a crash and ending up as another government statistic, if you know what I mean. But how do you go about making a confident buying decision on your motorcycle helmets with so many types styles and models to choose from? You can end up seriously confused, what with DOT EC, SHARP and SNELL, it can only add to the uncertainty.

Is has been shown under independent testing conditions that you can actually suffer a fatal injury falling off a bike travelling at, wait for it ) ZERO MILES an HOUR! So choosing the right type of motorcycle helmets is important.

But which one?

Wouldn't it be easier if someone just said, "Look, when you are in a crash, you need to protect this part of you head, because this is the part that is most likely to get hurt"...

You would think that was obvious, but actually finding this information is not that easy. It is available, but it took a quite intensive study over a number of years to collect the kind of data that turned out to be useful.

Never fear though, the information is available. A German study conducted some years ago analysed a huge number of accidents involving motorcyclists and came up with exactly the information I am talking about. The analysis is very detailed, too detailed for me to go into here, but I can provide you with the headlines...

The study allows us to tell exactly where we are most likely to be injured, headwise, in an accident. So based on that info, we should be able to make a better decision on the type of helmt we buy.

Take a motorcycle helmet and look at it from the front. Now imagine it is divided into three sections; the top (the cranium area) the middle (the area most likely covered by the visor) and the bottom (on a full face helmet, this would be the chin guard area). If you were involved in a motorcycle accident, and you hit your head you would have a 35% chance of the impact occurring to your chin area, 10% to your visor area, and 22% chance of the impact occurring to your front cranium area.

Now turn the helmet around. Looking at it from the back, divide it in two down the middle. In an accident, if you hit you head, you have a 16% chance of impact occurring on the back of you head to the left side, and a 17% chance of impact occurring on the back right side.

35 plus 22 plus 10 plus 17 plus 16 adds up to 100%

Conclusion? Well, this is only my personal conclusion but I would say the following...

The safest motorcycle helmets are full face helmets...

Second would be three quarter helmets with visors...

Third would be half helmets...

Last would be novelty helmets.

Everyone has their own reasons for the helmet they choose, however if you are at all interested in your own safety, then find a good full face helmet. Oh, and make sure your bike is properly maintained, preferably with OEM motorcycle parts.