Second Hand Helmets

[xbgs351]

Recently on another thread there has been some discussion of the merits of using second hand helmets to save money. The following is an excerpt from my reply on the subject.


LETS GET THIS CLEAR FROM THE START – IT IS NOT OK TO USE SECOND HAND HELMETS


Why would an informed person consider purchasing a second hand helmet, especially one that had been discarded by the previous owner? Sure the helmet may pass a visual inspection and get past the scrutineers, but they don't know the helmets history. They don't know the helmets age, if the helmet has suffered an impact, been dropped or been cleaned with an inappropriate cleaner. Keep in mind that helmets should be replaced every 3 to 5 years depending on use, they are only designed for ONE impact and a drop from as little as 4 feet is enough to damage them. Cleaners, paint, stickers and transfers, or surface treatments can react with helmet shell material and affect its protective capacity. In addition, the protective foam of a helmet adjusts over time to the contours of the wearer’s head. If someone else uses the helmet it will not provide the new wearer with as much protection. It is for these reasons that if you buy a new helmet, you should destroy the old one to ensure that it cannot be reused.


New AS1698 approved helmets can be purchased for under $100, which is not exactly expensive. I find it extremely hard to believe that anyone could be that short of cash that they couldn’t afford such a helmet. It’s more likely that they can’t justify the expense to themselves and that they have spent far more than $100 on other car related expenses such as alloy wheels or suspension modifications. How much you are prepared to pay for a helmet depends on how highly you value the helmets contents. I’m budgeting around $1000 for my next race helmet. For that sort of money the helmet is HANS Device ready. It is also very lightweight. This can help reduce whiplash in an accident and reduce the load placed on the neck when driving a car that can pull towards 3g.

Those that think that a helmet isn’t that important when open tracking a passenger car are kidding themselves. People with that sort of blasé attitude shouldn’t be allowed near a racetrack and neither should those that can’t afford appropriate safety equipment. Motorsport is a dangerous sport and helmets are compulsory for a very good reason. There are plenty of objects for a head to hit inside a car including other occupants. A blow to the head can lead to death or Acquired Brain Injury. Why on earth would anybody skimp on safety equipment?