New safety ratings for motorcycle helmets were published today (26/11/2009) by Road Safety Minister Paul Clark.
An extra 25 motorcycle helmets have been rated by SHARP – the Department for Transport’s Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme – taking the total number of ratings published to 175.
Paul Clark said: “If all riders wore the safest helmets available 50 lives could be saved each year.
“That is why I am delighted to publish these new SHARP ratings ahead of the Motorcycle Show. I very much hope that riders will get a chance to visit the SHARP stand at the show to get more information about the scheme before purchasing their new helmets.
“By providing the best safety information through SHARP, reminding drivers of the importance of looking out for bikes and promoting further training and safe riding through the THINK! Motorcycle Academy, I hope we can make the roads safer for motorcyclists and reduce the number of tragedies we see on the roads each year.”
All helmets must meet minimum legal safety standards but the SHARP scheme uses a wider range of tests to provide riders with more information on how much protection a helmet can provide in a crash.
The objective advice, which includes important guidance on how to select a good fitting helmet, will help riders to choose the safest helmet suitable for them.
The SHARP tests – which award ratings of between one and five stars – showed that the safety performance of helmets can vary by as much as 70%.
With helmets across a wide price range scoring highly all riders should be able to find a high performing helmet in a size and style that fits them and at a price they want to pay.
An independent report on SHARP was published today by the Transport Research Laboratory.
To view the report pdf 1.45mb – Click Here 
View the SHARP video
[youtube iB1a9iEeyv4 nolink]
Speak Your Mind