Tests For Judging Motorcycle Helmet Effectiveness
Motorcycle helmets are tested for their ability to withstand impacts at speeds
lower than those speeds in which motorcyclists typically travel. This is because
the friction at which impact is made is typically much lower than the travel
speed unless the motorcyclist runs his or her head perpendicularly into a very
stable object surface. For example, cars are typically made of very soft,
flexible metals that can actually absorb more of the impact than many helmets
can. And, if the motorcyclist hits the road, it is usually more of a skidding
action than a direct impact. However, if a motorcyclist hits a train engine, the
full speed of the bike is nearly the same as the full motorcycle helmet impact
on this perpendicular, relative immovable object. Anyways, the main idea is to
test a likely, medium-level motorcycle accident helmet impact, rather than a
best-case or worst-case scenario.
The main concept in judging motorcycle helmet effectiveness is that the
tolerance of a human head for impact is relatively well known, so a targeted
amount of energy diffusion needs to take place to at a given impact in order for
the head to stay within this tolerance level. There is a point of speed at which
current motorcycle helmet technology just cannot divert enough energy from the
head impact to make any difference in survival, so helmets cannot be optimized
to take on these kinds of impacts and trying to do so may detract from its
ability to protect in other types of impacts. So this helps explain how we go
about judging motorcycle helmet effectiveness.
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