Brits release helmet safety ratings

A new British Government initiative – SHARP – has released ratings on a range of helmets

A new UK Department of Transport project called SHARP (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme) have released a safety rating of a number of helmets. The stated aim is save lives by providing information on the safest helmets, based on a 0-5 scale rating.

According to SHARP:

"We have developed a suite of enhanced test procedures and assessment criteria for helmets, so that a helmet performing well when assessed against it would offer real and significant increases in head protection. Our tests are:

Linear impact tests- Energy absorption tests
The helmet is placed onto a test head form and dropped from a certain height onto different types of anvils. Acceleration is measured at the centre of gravity of the head form. We measure the energy absorbed by the helmet at various locations and speeds.

Oblique impact tests – Rotational acceleration by friction
The helmet is placed onto a test head form and dropped from a certain height against an inclined anvil with a very rough surface. Rotational acceleration is measured in the test head form. Limit values allow us to assess the risk of brain and neck injury.

The results from 22 different impacts will be combined into a single easy to understand star rating and published to provide consumers with comparative information to assist them in making informed purchase decisions."

More details can be found here SHARP 

There are some surprises amongst the ratings, some of which are shown below. Support of the scheme has been mixed.