| n fiber helmets have become very popular in | | | | make the helmet itself less prone to the effects of |
| today’s motorcycle world. The reasons for that | | | | wear and tear, but it is the liner inside the carbon fiber |
| popularity are easy to understand. Carbon fiber | | | | helmet’s shell that is the most effective safety |
| helmets tend to have a distinctive look and that look | | | | component of the system. |
| has become fashionable. Carbon fiber helmets are | | | | Nor is the technology used to make carbon fiber |
| lighter and their shells are more durable than other | | | | helmets particularly advanced. The carbon fibers that |
| helmets for carbon fiber helmets often make use of a | | | | go into the shells are made by subjecting certain |
| combination of Kevlar and carbon fibers and this | | | | acrylics to great heat. When combined with other |
| combination produces helmet shells that are as strong | | | | materials, these fibers produce materials that are |
| as they would be if they were made out of metal. This | | | | extraordinarily tough, but, once again, it should be |
| is an attractive feature for many buyers of carbon | | | | mentioned that because the surfaces of carbon fiber |
| fiber helmets and the caché that attaches to | | | | helmets are extraordinarily strong, this does not mean |
| Kevlar, a material used in military helmets, constitutes a | | | | that they better protect the head than do more |
| strong selling point. | | | | traditional materials, such as fiberglass, that are used in |
| However, there is a caution in order with respect to | | | | the making of motorcycle helmet shells. |
| the issue of the relationship of carbon fiber helmets to | | | | It is to be noted that some carbon fiber helmets are |
| head protection. In motorcycle helmets, including carbon | | | | not, legally speaking, “motorcycle |
| fiber helmets, the heart of the protection system is the | | | | helmets” at all, but rather, they are |
| liner—usually made of Styrofoam or a | | | | “novelty helmets” or |
| Styrofoam-like material—not the shell. This is so | | | | “beanies,” helmets which do not meet |
| because the shell material absorbs the impact energy | | | | the standards for U.S. Department of Transportation |
| that arises from a motorcycle accident and thereby | | | | (D.O.T.) certification. This points to the fact that |
| prevents that energy from doing destructive damage | | | | purchasers of carbon fiber helmets should always look |
| to the head. It is the energy absorption, not energy | | | | for the D.O.T. sticker that is placed on the back of the |
| resistance, that protects the head from trauma. Put | | | | shell of helmets that do meet D.O.T. standards. There |
| another way, if one were to wear a motorcycle | | | | is certainly nothing wrong with carbon fiber helmets per |
| helmet carved out of a solid block of steel, that helmet | | | | se and their light weight and fashionable looks make |
| would be less effective in protecting against head | | | | them desirable. But carbon fiber helmets do not |
| injury than would a helmet made entirely out of | | | | guarantee better safety. Carbon fiber helmets |
| Styrofoam. This is counter-intuitive, but, nonetheless | | | | constitute the use of a technology that is ancillary, not |
| true. Safety, if not the only reason for purchasing a | | | | central, to the issue of safety and the smart consumer |
| motorcycle helmet, is by the far the most important | | | | will purchase carbon fiber helmets if, and only if, they |
| reason for such a purchase and carbon fiber helmets | | | | are D.O.T. and/or Snell certified for safety. |
| do not increase safety to any great degree. They | | | | |