Georgia Injury Law Blog
Non-Approved Motorcycle Helmets May Not Protect against Injury
While the state of Georgia has a law requiring all motorcycle riders to wear helmets for their own protection, many motorcyclists in Georgia could be increasing their risk of injury by wearing unsafe, “fancy” helmets that are not approved by the Department of Transportation, nor by any private certifying agency.
The US Department of Transportation certifies hundreds of helmets every year.DOT-Approved helmets have an inner lining that protects the head during impact.They also have strong rivets, protective chin straps and other features that help prevent head and facial injuries during an accident. Unfortunately, too many motorcyclists in Georgia are riding with novelty helmets that look like military helmets, and do not cover the face completely. These helmets do not offer complete facial and head protection during an accident.In fact, wearing a helmet like this may not offer even minimal protection during an accident.
It makes no sense for a motorcyclist to wear a helmet that that has not been found to offer him protection during an accident. No motorcycle helmet, even one that is certified by the Department of Transportation, can completely guarantee that a motorcyclist will not suffer head and brain injuries during an accident. However, the chances of surviving an accident without these devastating injuries may be much greater if you’re wearing a DOT-approved and certified helmet.
Some motorcyclists have qualms about the safety standards of DOT-approved helmets. They believe that DOT testing standards are not strict enough to ensure the reliability of these helmets. If you don’t trust the DOT standards, there are other private agencies which certify helmets. The Snell Memorial Foundation tests more than 3,000 helmets each year, and posts the results of the tests on its website. This is a nonprofit, independent authority that only certifies helmets that pass each and every test.
The best choice would be to buy a helmet that’s tested and approved by the US DOT, and certified by the Snell Memorial Foundation.
The Atlanta motorcycle accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent injured victims of motorcycle accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.