Do You Know What To Look For When Buying A Motorcycle Helmet?

Today, I want to talk about things to look for to ensure that you purchase a DOT-compliant motorcycle helmet the next time you’re in the market for one.

First, there are two things that our motorcycle accident law firm knows; one, you got to have a DOT required helmet, it’s the law in Georgia and two, no longer is there an excuse that the DOT helmets are horrible, they look bad, they are hard to wear, and that you want the cool looking helmets, not the DOT ones.

They’ve got all kinds of nice looking helmets, the skull cap ones, the full-faced motorcycle helmets, all of which are actually DOT compliant.

What to Look For When Shopping For DOT Approved Motorcycle Helmets in Atlanta

So, here’s what to look for when shopping for DOT helmets. First and foremost is to check the labeling. There should be a sticker on the outside that states that it’s DOT compliant, and it will have the code section on it.

Now, that’s not the end of the inquiry there. There are a lot of novelty helmets that are using fake DOT stickers. This was a huge problem several years ago, with several motorcycle helmet brands.

NHTSA actually came out with new rules trying to clamp down on the novelty market of these helmets using fake stickers, cause you can go on Amazon and buy them, and there are people reselling helmets that are not DOT compliant.

If your helmet has a sticker, then look at the inside of the helmet, there should be per DOT requirements. There should also be a sticker inside or a tag, that notifies you of several important things and here is what it says:

This tag should give you the company’s name who manufactured the helmet, should give you the model, give you the size, and most importantly, give you the month of the year of manufacture. If you’re missing any of those elements on a sticker or a tag on the inside, it’s a novelty helmet; it’s not meeting DOT requirements.

If you’ve passed all of those, you’re well on your way, but here are few other things because again, these things can be faked depending on where you are and when you’re buying this. These are things that people don’t think about as much that will also tell you whether it’s a DOT-compliant helmet.

The Qualities to Look For in Top-Rated Motorcycle Helmets

There are a number of features that are found on all of the top motorcycle helmets. Number one, you should have a thick inner lining to the helmet, and the regulation is 1 inch thick of polyurethane foam.

Number two, the weight of the helmet should be of substantial weight. A lot of these novelty helmets or non-DOT compliant helmets are under a pound and super light in an effort to get you to want to buy it because it’s comfortable. But, the lightest motorcycle helmet is not the best motorcycle helmet.

Typically three pounds is what DOT-compliant helmets need to be. So, it needs to be a substantial weight.

Number two, or three I should say, is a substantial chin strap, and not only the chin strap itself being substantial, but look at the rivets that are holding it in both on the main side, and then the side that’s attaching. They need to be of good quality construction, which will tell you if it’s a DOT helmet.

Finally, it is against DOT regulations to have the helmet’s surface have any sort of object that is above two-tenths of an inch thickness. Biker helmets need to be smooth.

If you have other components to the helmet that don’t meet that requirement, often, visors on these novelty ones are non-DOT compliant, you’ll have a super thick visor, that’s actually not DOT compliant.

Why Is It So Important to Buy Good Motorcycle Helmets in Atlanta?

These are what you’re looking for in the next purchase of your motorcycle helmet, it has to be DOT compliant.

Remember you can’t just rely on, hey, there’s a sticker that says it is. You’ve got to do more investigation to make sure because this is super important for your safety.

Not to mention, protecting your family if you are in an accident in Atlanta, you don’t want your failure to wear the proper helmet used against you when you haven’t done anything wrong to begin with.

Hopefully, this will help you with understanding the types of motorcycle helmets available and where to buy motorcycle helmets that will keep you safe. If you have any questions or concerns or if you know of any other items that help ensure that it’s a DOT-compliant helmet, feel free to shoot me an email.