One of the most important pieces of essential safety equipment for the ATV rider is the helmet. Therefore a little extra time and care should be taken to make sure a proper choice is made. Here are a few tips to help you during the process.
Make Sure it Fits
In Good Condition
Reasonably Priced
Rate and Tested
Make Sure it Fits: With the vast number of ATV helmet models, colors and styles to choose from. Keep in mind a helmet is no good to you if it cannot protect your head from injury during a crash or accident. This key function is dependent on the helmet fit. When selecting a new helmet make sure it fits snug to your head, not too tight, and not too loose. Don't think that borrowing your friend's or brother's helmet is going to protect you sufficiently. It won't!
A properly fitted helmet is the best choice for head safety, and can keep an ATV rider safe even during a crash or spill.
In Good Condition: Deciding to buy a used ATV helmet is alright as long as the helmet is in good working order. If the helmet has signs of cracks, or defects it cannot protect you in the way the helmet was designed. In order for the helmet to do its job properly it must be free of cracks, damage, or defect. Keep in mind that the head is very vulnerable to many types of injury when riding, so take the extra time to select and wear a fully functioning helmet.
ATV helmets should be free of any cracks, defects, or damage if it is to protect the ATV rider under a diverse set of riding conditions.
Reasonable Price: Just because a helmet may be expensive doesn't mean it is a good ATV riding helmet. There is more to a good riding helmet then just price. Many variables can affect the cost of a helmet, none of which may be its ability to protect your head. If the helmet has a proprietary logo or emblem on it, the helmet may simply cost more. Unfortunately, the logo or emblem is not what protects the head during a crash. Conversely, just because a helmet is reasonably priced doesn't mean it is a piece of junk either.
Cost of an ATV helmet is not the best indicator for how well it will perform when it needs to protect the rider.
Rate and Tested: A good way to determine if a helmet is designed to protect you during ATV riding is to check its certification. A good rating system for judging a helmet's ability to protect you is the SNELL certification. Unlike the DOT rating system, with SNELL, manufacturers opt to have their helmets voluntarily tested and rated under extreme conditions. Helmets that fail to exceed SNELL ratings are not certified by them. With DOT rated helmets, they can have a variety of different ratings, even though they have failed certain tests.
To determine the reliability of an ATV helmet check for the rating system used to certify a helmet's performance during rigorous testing.
