What Makes A Motorbike Helmet A DOT Approved Helmet?

If you're in the market for a new motorbike helmet or maybe you have one and don't know if its up t safety speed then this is important.

DOT (Department of Transportation) orders that all motorbike helmets in the US are tests for safety. The DOT does its own testing in-house on helmets... labeling the ones that meet their standards. If you're helmet does not have the DOT approval stamp on the back or Snell approval you might want to think twice before wearing it on the road. This is most probably a novelty helmet and is not up to safety standards to protect you in the case of an accident.

So what are the DOT approval helmets standards?
The DOT standards cover impact and penetration protection, as well as being able to remain on the rider's head during an accident. Also... motorbike helmets sold in the U.S. must allow at least a 210 degree field of vision, and a multitude of regulations regarding the labeling of helmets.

Find your DOT Approved Helmets

It's easy to know if you're helmet is DOT approved, simply look on the back of the helmet where there would be a "DOT" attached at the back, lower middle; there will also be an approval sewn into the inside of the helmet.

But there is one more major approval that you might have, besides DOT that is more than acceptable and that includes Snell Approval. So hold on to your helmet and lets jump into the world of Snell...

Some WOW statistics
DOT's (department of transportation) studies indicate that the number of motorcycle riders wearing helmets has dropped 13% in just the last 4 years. Believe it or not that means that only 58% of riders actually wear a motorbike helmet when on the road.

Here's some more food for thought, even though motorcycles only count for 2% of road traffic, they count for 10% of all accidents. In just the last 10 years, deaths from motorcycle accidents have MORE than doubled and that totals to over 4,500 highway deaths per year. There are 78,000 motorcycle crash related injuries and accidents among motorcycle riders that are older than 50 has increased fourfold!

These are staggering statistics and its hard to believe that less and less people are wearing helmets even though with the price of gas there are more and more motorcycle drivers on the road each year. It's almost a sign of stupidity that drivers would choose to be stylish or lazy then invest the money in a good, safety certified helmet with the risk of having helmet hair... Here's your sign!

Click for your motorbike helmets

The Snell Memorial Foundation was established in 1957 for William Snell who died of head trauma from a motorcycle accident. This is a nonprofit organization working to understand head trauma and learning to help prevent it.
The good thing about Snell is that they update their standards every 5 years, which is different from DOT (who hasn't updated in decades), this makes helmet manufacturers continually update their own helmets for optimum safety standards.

The Snell approval standards apply to motorcycle, bikes, racing helmets and other headgear. The biggest difference between DOT and Snell are the tests and they way the results are reported.

Some tests are the same but with differing variables. For example, in the drop test, Snell drops helmets from higher distances giving the landing impact a greater force.

A HUGE difference.... DOT runs testing on an honors system, having manufacturers test for their approval while Snell test the helmets themselves. They also make manufacturers test 5 helmets for the best approval.

So what's the deal... you decide. Both helmets are great and much better than the 42% of motorcycle riders riding helmetless; also keep in mind that motorbike helmets are made to withstand one crash, after that you can't tell if damage is done internally to the structure so it's best in invest in a new one.