The $10 helmet

[Rockburner]

On 4 November, ahead of the FIA Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix, the FIA Safe & Affordable Helmet Programme took a new step forward with a distribution of UN-standard certified helmets in Mexico City, organised by the FIA and its Member Organisation ANA Automóvil Club A. C., with the support of the FIA Foundation and the Keep Fighting Foundation.

...

To contribute to its mission of promoting and pursuing a culture of safe mobility, the FIA has been promoting the FIA Safe & Affordable Helmet Programme to facilitate the deployment of motorcycle helmets. The design concept has been conceived by helmet manufacturers with the goal of creating the lowest priced helmets on the market while also meeting the UN ECE 22.05 safety standards, as certified by independent experts. The helmets are comfortable in hot and humid climates. Indeed, research shows that safe helmet wearing is one of the most effective road safety interventions, reducing the number of head injuries among moped riders and motorcyclists by around 44%.

In order to raise awareness of the importance of wearing helmets and to encourage the local government to ensure that only high standard helmets are introduced in the market, a demonstration event was organised in Mexico City in the framework of the FIA Formula 1 Grand Prix.

The event gathered FIA President Jean Todt, FIA Vice President for Sport and OMDAI, NACAM and FIA Americas President José Abed R., ANA Automóvil Club A. C. President Julián José Abed Jiménez, ANA Seguros General Director Raúl Barba, Mexico City Road Safety and Information Monitoring Director Valentina Delgado Sánchez, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali, Uber Eats Latin America General Director Eduardo Donnelly, FIA Foundation Programmes Manager Agnieszka Krasnolucka, FIA Secretary General for Automobile Mobility and Tourism ad interim Onika Miller, Red Bull Formula 1 Driver Sergio Perez, Chairman of the Board of Grupo Carso Carlos Slim Domit, Mexican Red Cross President Fernando Suinaga Cárdenas and FIA Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism Thierry Willemarck, among others.

...

More here: https://www.fia.com/news/new-step-forwa ... mme-mexico


(I can guess the answer for most here ): "Would you buy & wear a helmet manufactured for the sum of $10?"

I think the thing to consider here is: forget UK riding - if you were living in a country much hotter, and with much less traffic, and were riding a much slower bike... would you then consider it?

The whole idea of the low-cost helmet is to get people who aren't wearing them NOW to wear them in the future, rather than attracting business from people like ourselves, and so I can see the reasons and I hope it has success.

FWIW, I'd probably consider one if I was living out in (say) Southern Spain and tazzing about on a scooter.

I'd also definitely try to find one if I ever scrapped together enough for a MonoRacer - it's probably the only helmet I'd be able to afford!

[weeksy]

Nope. HAving seen a friend of the wifes husband have his head shattered like a watermelon and him losing most of his motor functions and brain functions purely from a 10mph crash on a bicycle... i'm very much a helmet on.

[ogri]

Yep, would ride a ropey £10 bike too

[Rockburner]

Nope. HAving seen a friend of the wifes husband have his head shattered like a watermelon and him losing most of his motor functions and brain functions purely from a 10mph crash on a bicycle... i'm very much a helmet on.

That's kind of the point though - pretty much any helmet is better than none, and the FIA are trying to ensure that there's an 'up to standard'* very low cost option available for riders who currently aren't wearing anything.


I like the idea that the helmet seems to have a lot of air holes which will make it much more comfortable to wear in hot climes.




* I'm not sure exactly how good the standard is, it's a UN one.

[weeksy]

I like the idea that the helmet seems to have a lot of air holes which will make it much more comfortable to wear in hot climes.

* I'm not sure exactly how good the standard is, it's a UN one.

I've got loads of approved vented helmets... i wouldn't use one on a motorbike... which is kinda funny as i'll happily do 45mph on the MTB with one on

[Mr. Dazzle]

$10 helmet is still significantly better than no helmet at all right? If it was the only option I'd definitely take it.

[DefTrap]

Yeah a cheapo is better than none. A colander or a tupperware is better than none, a bit.

I've only recently started wearing a cycle helmet - I think it was about 25 quid.

[KungFooBob]

I wonder what the build/cost price is of the road legal helmets you can buy in the UK for £50.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/motor ... 98030.html

[Mr. Dazzle]

Realistically the "business end" of a helmet is a moulded bit of expanded polystyrene and a vacuum formed bit of plastic.

Both of those things are cheap enough you can use them as disposable packaging.

[Bigjawa]

Nope. HAving seen a friend of the wifes husband have his head shattered like a watermelon and him losing most of his motor functions and brain functions purely from a 10mph crash on a bicycle... i'm very much a helmet on.

Don't tell that to the "utility cycling" bunch, they'll have a fit.

I wear a helmet even if I'm pottering around the park.

[v8-powered]

Do we honestly believe that a high-end Shoei / Arai etc costs more than $10 to make anyway????

[Mr. Dazzle]

Do we honestly believe that a high-end Shoei / Arai etc costs more than $10 to make anyway????

Well yeah there are definitely strong elements of that.

You could probably get 75% of the way there for 5% the cost. Something like that anyway! It's always diminishing returns with these things.

[DefTrap]

With high end stuff you're paying for the design, the marketing, the salesmans new car, the 2% (guessing) of genuinely additional safety.
But they seem to sell enough so why not?
And that 2% of R&D probably eventually trickles down to my cheap lid.

[Mr. Dazzle]

it's not just the safety though, it's the comfort and convenience.

My Arai for example has removable check pads and liners, like a lot of lids, so that you can wash them. They also come in different sizes so you can fine tune the fit, plus they're made of nice soft fabric. The visor locks down really well and is double glazed so it doesn't fog up. It's pretty light. Etc. Etc.

There's also the clichéd but accurate 90/10 rule. 90% of the effort goes into getting the last 10% of performance.

[DefTrap]

Totally agree about comfort although it seems like overegging the value of your job if it's all about adding miniscule bits of foam. If it doesn't fit your weird shape bonce, no amount of comfy lining is gonna help

I imagine most high end lids are sold directly proportional to the amount of shaz-aaaaam! rather than comfort. Although maybe this is changing with the older demographic.

It's an interesting discussion though

[Mr. Dazzle]

You're definitely getting into diminishing returns as you spend more and more.

My £500 Arai (which I didn't pay £500 for ) feels noticeably 'sturdier' than my old £250 HJC, depsite being lighter. The obvious test is putting your hands on either side of the 'hole' and trying to pull it out of shape - the Arai is way stiffer. Presumably that's down a to a better/stiffer shell material.

My mates four figure carbon Arai feels about the same as mine, but it's a lot lighter.

[Horse]

My £500 Arai (which I didn't pay £500 for ) feels noticeably 'sturdier' than my old £250 HJC, depsite being lighter.

Bit of a derail, but ...

Someone who used to be on Vd or TRC worked for a solicitors who were representing a client who's helmet - despite being correctly fitted and done up - came off in a crash.

Apparently, in rare circumstances (presumably someone young whose skull bones haven't fused), a skull can deform.

[Mr. Dazzle]

Isn't that what happened to Simoncelli?

[wull]

No chance

[lostboy]

Isn't that what happened to Simoncelli?

Simoncelli's helmet came off because it couldn't be done up tight up enough because of the cushioning of all that hair. Basically when he was hit the hair compacted inside the helmet even further, loosened the chin strap and the helmet came off.