DOT or Not - Motorcycle Helmets That Don’t Meet the Mark Hot

Your helmet is DOT certified, so it must be up to standards, right?  Think again.

Many motorcycle riders choose not to wear a helmet and these riders know the dangers that are associated with this decision. There are other riders who choose to wear helmets and feel secure that they are wearing safety certified helmets. But guess what? More than half of all DOT helmets do not make the grade.

In fact, the only thing a helmet manufacture has to do to make its helmets DOT certified, is believe that its helmets meet the criteria. That’s it. No pre-testing or requirements are necessary to get the standard sticker of safety. Instead, DOT approval is based on the honor system, and the manufacturers word that it will stand up to the test.

DOT does do an annual test to make sure that all motorcycle helmets that are being sold with the DOT sticker meet its standards. But DOT does this after the helmets hit the stores, after they have been bought, worn, and used on the road. This isn’t a safety measure, it’s an “I-hope we-don’t-get-sued,” measure.

Manufacturers might as well stamp a “wear at your own risk” sticker on the back of these helmets.

But the problem with DOT goes deeper than its backward testing methods. It also does its testing based on an American National Standards Institute report from 1972. The results of this report, which deal with the acceleration and duration of an impact test, have since been changed. DOT, however, has not changed its safety criteria.

Here are a few helmets that have failed the DOT test after being sold in stores.

HCI - 50
O’neal - 308
Sparx - S-07
Eagle - EA-A110
KBC - Magnum
JIXIANG - 500
ACC - EXT-003
AFX - FX-28
VEGA - XT HALF

You can see the full list here.