Are DOT helmet specs the same?

[Ga Blue Knight]

A quick question, are DOT helmet classifications the same for snowmobiles and motorcycles?
Both have a DOT sticker But is it the same level of safety. The reason I ask is that I would like to get a snowmobile helmet for winter use as it is pretty fog proof and pretty well insulated. I plan on visiting my son in Minnesota this fall or early spring and be rive it does get a little chilly up there.

 

[Bob Denman]

The DOT specs are the same... But they are the MINIMUM requirements that the helmets must meet in order to be sold as street-legal. I guess in other words, one DOT halemet may be better than another... and they're all better than nothing! :thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

:agree: If it has a DOT sticker it is legal for street use. Some sled helmets do not have a DOT label.

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

Thanks all for the advice!:2thumbs:

 

[nater1]

The fact is each company determines their own spec, and no the DOT does not test helmets. To add to that if you are in a accident, and the helmet cracks there is no liability to the company.
Do all helmets protect? I would say I would rather have one on that not to have one on.
Been in two wrecks on a bike. First one no helmet, and got some brain damage. Second one I had a helmet on, and destroyed it but walked away with just a dislocate shoulder.

 

[boborgera]

The fact is each company determines their own spec, and no the DOT does not test helmets. To add to that if you are in a accident, and the helmet cracks there is no liability to the company.
Do all helmets protect? I would say I would rather have one on that not to have one on.
Been in two wrecks on a bike. First one no helmet, and got some brain damage. Second one I had a helmet on, and destroyed it but walked away with just a dislocate shoulder.

Wrong, All helmet manufacturers must summit a helmet for DOT testing before they can put a legal DOT sticker and certify it a motorcycle helmet.

 

[Bob Denman]

Sorry Natter, but :agree: with Bob... If the lid is carrying a D.O.T. sticker, somebody had to give their seal of approval...

 

[BajaRon]

There is so much confusion about helmets in just about every aspect.

DOT does safety test helmets that it certifies, and some do not pass. DOT does not test the chin bar area of the helmet and that is probably where the idea of NO TESTING gets started.

SNELL standards are generally harder to pass and SNELL does test the chin bar. Because it is harder to pass SNELL than DOT it has been generally assumed that a SNELL rated helmet is better than a DOT rated helmet. Certainly, it is more expensive to make a helmet that will pass SNELL.

SNELL forces the hard shell portion of the helmet to be stronger (translate heavier and less compliant). Snell requires the helmet withstand a double strike of a small surface area device to the same spot on the helmet. DOT requires that the helmet withstand only a single strike to the same spot on the helmet.

SNELL started out as an automotive racing standard where it is very common for the driver to strike his head more than once in the same place because you are tightly strapped in to a fixed position with fixed hard parts in the vicenitiy of your head. Also, a heavier helmet is not as much of a burden to an auto racer as it is to a motorcycle rider.

While this standard worked well for auto racing, it turns out not to be as good for motorcycle helmets.

Independent testing has been showing for several years that many DOT only rated helmets actually protect a motorcycle rider better than a SNELL rated helmet. After many years of denial, SNELL has recently begun to modify their standards to more specifically address the special needs of motorcycle riders.

The bottom line for a motorcycle rider is not protection from multiple strikes to the same point on the helmet, (which happens very rarely), but deceleration of the riders skull. The slower the head decelerates, the less chance of injury.

Specifically because of the SNELL requirements, the riders head tends to decelerate more quickly than with a DOT only rated helmet.

So as it turns out, just because the helmet costs more does not necessarily mean it will protect your head better. And it has been proven many times that proper fit makes more difference than any other single factor as long as you're getting a well made helmet.

 

[Ga Blue Knight]

So getting back to my original question the consensus is that a DOT snowmobile helmet from BRP or some other reputable maker would protect just as well as a street MC helmet of similar construction for a MC rider as long as they were both DOT. Is this interpretation correct?

 

[boborgera]

So getting back to my original question the consensus is that a DOT snowmobile helmet from BRP or some other reputable maker would protect just as well as a street MC helmet of similar construction for a MC rider as long as they were both DOT. Is this interpretation correct?

I Would think it would be OK' But with most Snowmobile helmets you lose a lot of peripheral vision so i wouldn't use it riding a motorcycle,
It might not be a problem on a Spyder though?

 

[Bob Denman]

As long as they're both passing the D.O.T. standards, they both provide at least the mimmum level of protection required to pass that arbitrary standard... That's probably not what you want to hear though...
Snell approved helmets provide more protection in a harder hit, but oddly enough can make a lighter shot to the noggin seem worse... the tougher shell transmits more energy to the brain pan... :shocked:
Peripheral vision is something that you've got to just check out for yourself... I'm currently using a snowmobile helmet for riding, and it's got a larger opening than my normal helmet,so try and figure that one out! :gaah: