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http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/2/10027/Motorcycle-Article/NHTSA-Updates-Rules-for-Motorcycle-Helmets.aspx
NHTSA Updates Rules for Motorcycle Helmets Courtesy of the Motorcycle Industry Council
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
. NHTSA has published a Final Rule that amends FMVSS No. 218, Motorcycle Helmets. The Final Rule amends certification labeling requirements to make it more difficult and expensive to produce false “certification” labels and help consumers and law enforcement personnel distinguish between certified and uncertified helmets, facilitating the enforcement of state helmet laws. The Final Rule also amends DOT certification tests to aid NHTSA in enforcing the standard. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) was published on October 2, 2008 [MIC TN 08-036].
Key amendments to FMVSS No. 218 include:
Label Requirements: 1) Decal lettering indicating the manufacturer’s name and/or brand name and the helmet model designation in the space above the “DOT” symbol; 2) the term “FMVSS No. 218” horizontally centered beneath the “DOT” symbol on the decal (this is a new addition to the Final Rule); and 3) the word “certified” in a horizontally centered position beneath the “FMVSS No. 218” term on that decal. The NPRM’s proposed requirement to apply the decal under the helmet’s clear coating was omitted from the Final Rule as were the alternative methods discussed in the NPRM to make the certification more tamper-resistant.
Label Size and Location Requirements: The Final Rule amends the standard to allow placement of the certification label in a slightly wider range of locations. The label shall be positioned such that the horizontal centerline of the DOT symbol is located between one and three inches from the lower rear edge of the helmet and labeled with a “discrete size,” which will correspond to the appropriate test headform.
Performance Tests: Both performance tests (impact attenuation and retention system) were revised to make them less ambiguous. NHTSA believes that these changes will provide clearer guidance to manufacturers conducting tests specified in FMVSS No. 218, as well as enable NHTSA to better undertake enforcement actions when a noncompliance is discovered.
Retention Test: A load application rate for the retention test is specified and the retention test is reclassified as a quasi-static test, instead of a static test.
Impact Attenuation Test: The Final Rule provides for a greater tolerance for variation in impact locations. Additionally, it updates the impact velocity for the attenuation test. NHTSA is proposing to replace the minimum impact velocity with a range of acceptable velocities (Final Rule narrows range proposed in NPRM). Further, because the regulation specifies both an impact velocity and a drop height, there is both a redundancy and the possibility of additional ambiguity in the standard. Therefore, NHTSA has eliminated the drop height requirements. Helmet Conditioning Tolerances: In order to provide more clearly defined, enforceable testing procedures, NHTSA is providing temperature tolerances and clearer time measurements for the helmet conditioning procedures. Reasonable tolerances for temperature and relative humidity conditioning have been added, as well as specifying a four to twenty-four hour time range to condition the helmet prior to testing, except that the Final Rule allows indefinite conditioning time for the ambient condition (the NPRM proposed a minimum twelve hours). This will enable NHTSA to undertake legally enforceable testing of helmets at the conditions specified within the tolerances.
The Final Rule is effective May 13, 2013.
The Final Rule was published in the May 12, 2011 Federal Register, Vol. 76, No. 93, pages 28132-28163, and is reprinted for your information. For the full document visit: www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-05-13/pdf/2011-11367.pdf
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/nhtsa-revises-dot-motorcycle-helmet-regulations-35352.html
NHTSA Revises DOT Motorcycle Helmet Regulations
Helmet label to feature the words "DOT FMVSS No. 218 Certified" The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently announced an update for the DOT regulations covering motorcycle helmets, as recent tests for new helmets have found that they failed all or almost all of the safety performance requirements in the FMVSS No. 218 standard.
This means that helmet manufacturers will now have to comply to the new standard, so the new certification label will bear the manufacturer's name and helmet model and the words "DOT FMVSS No. 218 Certified."
The decision to revise the standard was taken following the increase in injuries and fatalities among motorcyclists for 11 consecutive years, and wearing a helmet significantly reduces the risk of dying in a motorcycle crash. FMVSS No. 218 includes energy attenuation, penetration resistance, chin strap structural integrity, and labeling requirements for on-road motorcycle helmets.
According to the NHTSA, 5.2 million helmets are sold annually. In 2010, 54 percent of motorcyclists wore a FMVSS No. 218-compliant helmet, 14 percent wore novelty helmets, and 32 percent did not wear a helmet.
“These figures represent a significant reduction in FMVSS No. 218-compliant helmet use compared to 2009, when the comparable figures were 67 percent, 9 percent and 24 percent,” the agency was quoted by ohsonline.com. “This reduction in FMVSS No. 218-compliant helmet use is especially significant in the jurisdictions (20 States and the District of Columbia) with universal helmet use laws where the use of compliant helmets dropped from 86 percent in 2009 to 76 percent in 2010 and the use of novelty helmets increased from 11 percent in 2009 to 22 percent in 2010. This 11 percentage point increase in novelty helmet use in jurisdictions with universal helmet use laws between 2009 and 2010 is evidence of the difficulty encountered by law enforcement officials in enforcing helmet use laws.”
