Nonstandard Motorcycle Helmet Use in Georgia
Q: When is it a bad idea to wear a helmet while motorcycling?
A: When your helmet is nonstandard!
In most states the United States motorcycle operators are required to wear a helmet. Some cyclists are skirting those laws with nonstandard helmets. Many of the cyclists who choose to use nonstandard helmets believe helmets are a nuisance. Others say they can’t hear or see as well while wearing a standard helmet. In the U.S. all motorcycle helmets must meet design and safety standards established by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). In some state, like Georgia, however, although there is a requirement that motorcyclists must wear helmets, the law does not specify that the motorcycle helmet comply with the DOT – or any other – recognized standard.
These cyclists often opt for a nonstandard helmet: one that is either a novelty item, or one that is less than an inch thick or doesn’t completely cover the ears. Although the cyclists follow the letter of the Georgia law by wearing a helmet – they miss out on the basic protection afforded by a helmet that meets U.S. safety standards. They may even be putting themselves in additional danger. In the event of a crash, hospital workers may underestimate the damage to a cyclist’s head, as they assume the nonstandard helmet offers the same safeguards as a standard helmet.
A recent study in Georgia found that up to 15% of riders were wearing helmets that did not meet U.S. standards. The authors of the study noted that many of the nonstandard helmets actually show a DOT certification sticker (a requirement of the DOT standard), but that these stickers were counterfeit since the helmet did not meet standard design criteria.
In Georgia, helmet wearing laws seem to be effective in getting motorcyclists to wear helmets. Of the 263 observed cyclists, all were wearing a helmet. But 39 of those helmets did not appear to meet DOT standards. These nonstandard helmets undermine the state’s helmet laws, and they fail to provide proper protection. The study’s authors advocate regulations be amended to ban the phony helmets.
Houry D, Kellermann A, White M, Corneal K. "Phony" motorcycle helmet use in Georgia. Am J Emer Med 23:409-10, 2005.
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