A New Book about Helmets

Dr. Jim Newman has completed his new book “Modern Sports Helmets, Their History, Science and Art,” and it has been published by Schiffer. “Dr. J.” has sent HPRL an autographed copy of this new volume and it is being read day and night by staff members. It is a very complete record of the various sports helmets with detailed coverage on the head protection used in motor sports with very complete sections covering motorcycle and bicycle helmets. The sections of the book cover many aspects such as design and construction, head injury biomechanics, helmet standards, etc. with specific applications from the history of head protection development. There are many excellent photographs describing the many stages of helmet development and application in motor sports. The contribution of C. F. Lombard, S. W. Ames and H. P. Roth at USC is recorded as the landmark development in the science of head protection, and gives examples of the extension of the application of the impact energy absorbing design to improved head protection.

Dr. J. is one of the leading scientists in the field of head protection and has published a world of research on that subject. He conducted one of the first studies of motorcycle accidents in Canada in the 1970’s and helped to train the research team at USC that conducted the DOT study of “Motorcycle Accident Cause Factors and Identification of Countermeasures.” In addition, in that same period of time, Dr. J. was a consultant at Bell Helmets in Long Beach developing the early versions of Bell’s famous bicycle helmet, the “Biker.”

Of course, HPRL recommends this book by Dr. J. as “THE BOOK” to have and read to fill your needs for helmet knowledge. It has the whole story like never before presented by a real scientific authority.

Harry Hurt, 19 November, 2007

August, 2007

Warning to Bicycle Helmet Users: During the last two years, the technical staff of HPRL has encountered an interesting problem with the aerodynamic-shaped or streamlined helmets. These popular helmets have a teardrop design which tapers to a wedge at the rear of the helmet, supposedly offering reduced aerodynamic drag along with increased ventilation through the many openings in the shell.

The adverse effect of this aerodynamic shape is that the wedge at the back of the helmet tends to deflect and rotate the helmet on the head when impact occurs there. Any impact at the front or sides of the streamlined helmet is not affected, but any impact at the rear wedge tends to rotate the helmet on the head and possibly deflect the helmet exposing the bare head to impact, or at worst ejecting the helmet completely from the head. Actually, everybody who has tested these streamlined helmets over the years had the problem of these helmets being displaced during impact testing at the rear wedge, and usually additional tape was required to maintain the helmet in place (the retention system alone could not keep the helmet in place during testing). Unfortunately, the implication of helmet displacement and possible ejection in an accident did not register previously as a real hazard, but accident cases are showing this to be a real problem. Accident impacts at the rear of these streamlined helmets can cause the helmet to rotate away and expose the head to injury. The forces from the wedge effect can stretch the chin straps very easily and break the Roc Loc (or equivalent).

This problem will be studied by HPRL technical staff and presented to the ASTM F08 Committee for consideration. In the meanwhile insure the chin straps of your helmet are securely fastened and properly adjusted, and if you fall, do your best not to hit the wedge part of the back of the helmet. Just take note that the Extreme BMX'rs who crash a lot don't use many of the streamlined bike helmets.

August, 2004

HPRL Staff have prepared and submitted two scientific papers to the international meeting of the Institut für Zweiradsicherheit. The subject is a comparison of the lower extremities injuries from two major sets of motorcycle accident data, Thailand and USC/DOT.

July, 2004

Jay W. Preston, CSP, PE, has joined the HPRL Board of Directors. Preston is one of the most experienced safety engineers in the USA, and is active in a variety of industrial safety activities and related organizations. Preston is recognized as a genuine expert in all areas of industrial safety and has consulted on behalf of practically every element of industry, insurance and government.

July, 2004

HPRL is completing the analysis and publication of 304 fatal motorcycle accident cases. Each case has a special head and neck dissection procedure with full central system neuropathology in addition to the whole body autopsy procedure. This publication will present the finest possible detail of head and neck injuries to these fatally injured motorcyclists, with the distinction between helmeted and unhelmeted victims. Unfortunately this project has languished for a long time because further support from DOT/NHTSA was not available and industry has not helped with the project. HPRL needs an angel to help with the cost of printing and distributing this publication to the scientific community, about $25,000. Any serious benefactor wishing to help with this project, please call (562) 529-3295.

April, 2003

"Modular Helmets" is a new article by Art Friedman in the April, 2003 issue of motorcycle CRUISER magazine. This new article by Art Friedman reviews the tests of a group of new helmets at HPRL and has all of the great facts about these popular helmets with the flip-up face sections. Of course, one of the best ever complete articles about helmets also written by Art Friedman was "Hard Headed?" in the August, 2000 issue of motorcycle CRUISER magazine. These articles are worth your collection for the good stuff about helmets.

Links to sites related to the work of HPRL:

Motorcycle Safety Foundation - http://www.msf-usa.org