Dropped Helmet - buy a new one?

[bluel39]

A magazine in the UK did some tests by dropping a helmet from various heights (including the equivalent of a first floor window) and then performed the standard tests.  They found the helmet was just as good in all cases.

They still advised replacing the helmet if it is dropped but is this an urban myth?

Are there any accident statistics that show dodgy helmets (well helmets that have been dropped, are old etc) have a real effect on safety?

[Zarathustra]

i've dropped my helmet from about waist hight on a few occassions, and i still use it.  i'm not gonna shell out $200+ just because it fell that far.  the only reason you're supposed to replace a dropped helmet is that some of the cusioning might have gotten depressed and then would be useless to you in a crash.  at the height you're talking about however, the chances of this happening are slim to none.  keep using it, and just put a sticker over the paint scuff.

[vtlion]

I'm just learning, and If I had to replace my helmet every time I put a small ding in it by dropping it or scuffing it, I would have spent more on helmets by now than I have on the bike!!!  :lol:

I'm no expert, but my guess would be that if you have really irreversably compressed the cushioning in your helmet, you're gonna know it!  

ride safe.  

peace

[Jared]

Well you gotta remember who's saying that you have to replace the helmet...the people that MAKE AND SELL THEM..... Hardly an unbiased motivation there....

But yes the deal is the Polystyrene (sp?) shell can be damaged (as Zara said). If it's damaged it can't protect you as well. Maybe they mean if you drop it with your head in it...

[Bob Broussard]

I dropped my Arai off my bike.
I was surprised how easily it damaged the black outer shell.
The helmet gets checked at tech inspection. So I put a sticker on it. This helmet cost around $500.00
I'll wait until it gets really scuffed before I replace it.

[fuzzymemory]

The danger of dropping a helmet is not compressing the inside liner - the danger is cracking the thin outer shell which is designed to protect against a major impact.  Think of an egg shell... 1 quick jab to the side will crack it enough that you can tear the whole thing apart.  My opinion is that you should get a suspect helmet checked out - why take the risk when it's your head in question?

[pantablo]

If I dropped it from a second story window I'd think twice but I've dropped mine form my bike's seat and dont doubt it still has all its protective qualities intact. It barely got a scratch...

[shep_bannister]

I think it's a judgement call situation.  Helmets are made of the puncture resistant outer shell + the cushioning (impact resistant) inner shell.  The job of the inner shell is to shatter on heavy impact, thus spreading the impact force across the entire helmet, and reduce the amount of impact felt by your skull in any given spot.

If you drop your helmet, there is a risk of damaging either portion of the helmet.  You really need to be your own judge as to whether the drop was bad enough to warrant getting it checked out or replaced, as only you know how hard it was dropped.

That said, I've dropped mine 1 time from seat height onto concrete, and 1 time off of my bed onto carpet.  I think it's fine.

[tricked500]

It all depends on the brand of helmet you have I would check it out just to make sure at you local dealer and see what they have to say  Im sure it ok but never know

I've droped mine like that also

Tricked500

[scratch]

I've dropped my helmet from my hand (clumsy me) and I used it for 11 more years, then I threw it in the air as hard as I could to see if it would ablate, I mean, break apart on impact and it didn't! I threw it as high as a tree; about 20 feet in the air! It hit the pavement hard, but didn't break apart! I threw it away. I knew I wasn't going to be using that helmet, again. It was red anyway. The color of hate. I didn't get alot of respect from cage drivers when I wore that helmet. Just alot of, well...hatin'.

[shep_bannister]

The fact that a helmet has 2 important safety parts to it (inner and outer layers) mean that a broken helmet may not necessarily be broken 'apart'.  In fact, it might not show any damage at all.  The outside shell (puncture resister) could be fine while the inside (impact softener) could be shot to hell.  

It's really the invisible, inner layer that keeps your skull from caving in when it hits concrete at 50 mph.  Wearing a helmet with a working outer layer and no inner layer would be similar to wearing a plastic bucket over your head.  It wouldn't do a lot of good.

[sprint_9]

I dont think that the drop your helmet it is junk is a myth. A few years back our sprint car driver had a $900 helmet and it got hit by a very large rock when he was racing, and destroyed the helmet. We called into Bell and they said they couldnt do anything, all they wanted to know if the driver was alright and said they couldnt replace the helmet because it was designed to take one hit and then be thrown away, though droping it 3 feet is a little different. I would send it in to a helmet company and have them crack check it for you.

[scratch]

I dont think that the drop your helmet it is junk is a myth. A few years back our sprint car driver had a $900 helmet and it got hit by a very large rock when he was racing, and destroyed the helmet. We called into Bell and they said they couldnt do anything, all they wanted to know if the driver was alright and said they couldnt replace the helmet because it was designed to take one hit and then be thrown away, though droping it 3 feet is a little different. I would send it in to a helmet company and have them crack check it for you.

Also, a good reason to have two helmets; or excuse, if you're into helmets; I used to have five helmets at one time.

[Richard UK]

The golden rule is 'never put your helmet on the seat'

[Wrencher]

I don't know about most people, but I put a value on my head higher than the price of a new helmet. If the helmet looks like it has taken ANY damage... throw it in the garbage. By any damage I mean to the shell or the core. Scratches are one thing, gouges or hairline cracks are another thing alltogether. Usually.... I say usually... you can tell if the core has compressed by the sound the shell makes when you tap on it with your knuckle. The core usually compresses and pulls away from the shell leaving a nice little air pocket that sounds diffrent than an intact core. Also something to check before buying a helmet. I have seen entire stacks of helmet boxes get knocked off the back of a semi, bounce on the ground and be scooped up and put inside for sale.

If a helmet falls off your bike and theres no one around to hear it, did the cash register for your new one really make a sound?

[zoltan]

I think it's a judgement call situation.  Helmets are made of the puncture resistant outer shell + the cushioning (impact resistant) inner shell.  The job of the inner shell is to shatter on heavy impact, thus spreading the impact force across the entire helmet, and reduce the amount of impact felt by your skull in any given spot.

spreading the impact out over your head is the outer hard layer's part. the inner layer's job is collapse upon impact, absorbing energy, thereby reducing the impact felt by your head. usually when you drop your helmet it's the outer hard layer that will be damaged since there's no head in the helmet to compress the inner layer. remember, however, that just because you can't see a crack in the outer layer doesn't mean there isn't one, especially with fiberglass helmets which can delaminate without much visable sign.

[scratch]

The golden rule is 'never put your helmet on the seat'

Yes, I've learned that through a close call; a strong gust of wind blew by and if I wasn't standing right next to the bike it would have been the second time that red helmet met the ground. Needless to say, dropping, setting on seat or handlebar or mirror are all bad habits and, I, for one have learned not to do these things after the many years of riding (took me awhile).

[Black Snowman]

I keep banging ming on door jambs and what-not. I don't worry about them as much as I do a drop on concrete because they give a lot more. I'd LIKE to buy a helmet, but no matter how much my head is worth it's a matter of ballencing the financial burden and the acceptable level of risk.

On the technical side, the harder the surface the higher G the shock on impact. You can drop a helmet from 10000 feet into a large pile of Nerf balls and it would most likely be OK but drop it 3 feet to concrete and it will be highly suspect.