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SHARP / HELMET SAFETY INFORMATION
Motorcycle Helmet Safety Standard General Information
Motorcycle Helmets come in all styles and colours so it's easy to get sidetracked from the their main purpose - (Protecting your head)! when your choosing a new lid! To give some facts and figures - motorcyclists represent just 1% of UK traffic but 19% of all road fatalities, so it makes sense to make sure that the helmet you're looking to purchase offers you the greatest protection possible. There are a three main safety ratings systems used in the UK and it is important to realise that every helmet that is available for sale on the V Customs Website is compliant with BSI (British Standards Institute) 6658 and/or ECE 22.05 (Europe).
The SHARP rating scheme
All helmets must meet minimum legal safety standards but the SHARP scheme uses a wider range of tests to provide riders with more information on how much protection a helmet can provide in a crash. The SHARP tests - which award ratings of between one and five stars - show that the safety performance of helmets can vary by as much as 70%. With helmets across a wide price range scoring highly all riders should be able to find a high performing helmet in a size and style that fits them and at a price they want to pay.
SHARP Testing
SHARP run 32 impact tests on a helmet model before awarding a SHARP rating.
Because the world doesn’t operate at one speed, SHARP doesn’t either. Each crash is unique with its own unique set of variables, so they test at a much wider range of impact speeds than standard regulations.
What’s more, SHARP analyses national and international crash studies – helping them to select the test points that are most representative of ‘real world’ crashes.
For every helmet model, they run 32 tests on seven helmets across a range of sizes – assessing how well each helmet could protect the brain in the event of a crash. To ensure the validity of their assessment, they only test helmets that they themselves have purchased from retail outlets. It is important that the helmets they test are the same as those you would buy yourself.
SHARP then go to work, testing each helmet by impacting them against anvils to represent flat surfaces and kerbs. SHARP tests are carried out at three different speeds to ensure the helmet provides good protection during both high and low severity impacts. Despite the risk of injury being much lower during less severe crashes, even a small risk could result in riders being seriously or fatally injured.
Ratings
SHARP is the only assessment of helmet performance that results in a safety rating.
Once a helmet has been subjected to our rigorous testing process, we award it a SHARP rating of between 1 and 5 stars.
A 5-star helmet offers good levels of protection right around the helmet. That’s not to say a lower rated helmet won’t protect you. Regardless of its SHARP rating, every helmet on sale in the UK must meet at least one regulatory standard, ensuring it offers at least a minimum level of protection.
The SHARP tests have shown that not all helmets offer the same level of impact protection. Individually, we can all judge the price, extra features and build quality of a helmet. SHARP offers you independent advice on that often hidden property of a motorcycle helmet - how well it can protect you in the event of a crash.
During testing they have found differences in performance of as much as 70% between high and low scoring helmets. That’s why the SHARP scheme is so important. Our independent advice can help to ensure you choose a helmet that offers the best protection possible.
Remember, fit comes first. The secret is finding several helmets that fit you best, and then selecting the helmet with the highest SHARP rating.
It should be remembered that SHARP carries out 32 impact tests on a helmet model before awarding the SHARP star rating. Helmets that offer good levels of protection uniformly around the head rate highly in SHARP. That’s not to say a 1-star helmet won’t protect you. Regardless of its SHARP rating, every helmet on sale in the UK meets at least one recognised standard, ensuring it offers at least a minimum level of protection.
