FEATURE


Helmet testing


What is the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab, and why should it matter to protection brands?


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f you work for a helmet brand, you’ll know about EN 1078 certification, and maybe even the NTA 8776 certification for speed pedelecs. And these standards are important to keep consumers safe and give them an easy way to identify if a helmet they are purchasing has been manufactured to


a given standard. But not all helmets are created equally. We know that just passing a certification doesn’t mean all


helmets are going to protect a rider in the same way. It simply means that the helmet has been tested to a specific set of criteria. To achieve EN 1078 certification, a helmet must be able to absorb the impact of a fall from 1.5 metres, the chin


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strap must not be able to come loose under stress, and sharp objects should not be able to penetrate the helmet’s shell. But in reality, how does a consumer know whether your


brand’s helmet is going to keep them as safe as someone else’s in the event of an accident? With so many different variables and ways someone can fall from a bicycle, it’s nigh on impossible to protect every part of the skull. But what consumers want to know is which helmet is going to protect them the most – in any circumstance - and without having to pore over data sets and reports showing how helmets were tested.


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