Being a helmet nazi...

[tnarg]

I'm a bit of a hemet nazi and wont let any one on a bike without a helmet...for obvious reasons( My friends are dumb enough without a head injury).
Ok heres question, there now seem to be alot of people importing helmets etc from overseas and selling on trademe and I can only assume most of the sellers/buyers are not aware of the laws regulating this. Do I educate with a quick question or let natural selection take place? I would be happy to buy a helmet off the net but would suck if it was as much use as a pillow on me head.

[Taz]

I think you should mind your own business.

[Trudes]

So, what's the problem? Are they not up to NZ standards or is it that these helmets may not be any good, ie some unknown brand, second-hand/pre crashed??

[gijoe1313]

So this thread isn't about the purple-headed yoghurt throwing vein monster?

[Ragingrob]

I'm a bit of a hemet nazi and wont let any one on a bike without a helmet...for obvious reasons( My friends are dumb enough without a head injury).
Ok heres question, there now seem to be alot of people importing helmets etc from overseas and selling on trademe and I can only assume most of the sellers/buyers are not aware of the laws regulating this. Do I educate with a quick question or let natural selection take place? I would be happy to buy a helmet off the net but would suck if it was as much use as a pillow on me head.

Apparently there's a study and it's up here on KB somewhere, where an $80 helmet from trademe or wherever has the same if not more protection than a pricey branded one...

[Romeo]

The standards should be enforced TBH - since a good percentage of new riders/scootlers would most likely go for the cheapest option available. The number of scooter riders I see around wearing pre-90's helmets is shocking.

[Balding Eagle]

My understanding is (and this should be checked) that any helmet brought into the country and has been approved by NZ standards, is safe regardless of the price. A helmet imported privately may or may not achieve the required standards. But really it is a matter of buyer beware and it might be a case of you get what you pay for. Seeing it is my brains under my helmet and I know that they are worth protecting, I shall get one that will do the job and I shall do the research to make sure that is the case and pay the required dollars. If you haven't got much of a brain and go out and buy the cheapest because it is the cheapest, your brain is probably not worth protecting.

In the end, it is a matter of personal responsibility.

It might help raise the country's IQ.

[offrd]

A mate bought an $80.00 helmet to go with his hoysung, Brand new off tardeme. Its got a strange plastic strap catch. Its like a ratchet tounge..

Its got an E and a number like it meets euro standard...

Safe or deadly........ Who knows....

[slopster]

I've always believed that cheap helmets and expensive helmets offer similar protection. The expensive ones offer better comfort, less noise etc. How many helmet ads do you see promoting their helmets crash protection? Not many compared to the ones promoting style, low noise and the like. At the end of the day they are all just a plastic or composite shell over a polystyrene inner with a bit of padding for comfort.

[Soul.Trader]

I think you should mind your own business.

I think you should piss off. It's one thing to promote freedom of choice regarding helmet wearing - it's quite another to sell (potentially) unsafe helmets to unsuspecting buyers. The OP has a good point.

[@mmie]

Well interestingly enough, I was reading an article in 'Two Wheels' today regarding a new design of inner shell for a helmet called a Cone Head.

check out the mag when you are in the supermarket next it is worth a read, also check out the video of the guy who has invented it.
The helmet is not available on the market yet but is scheduled to be available in Australia next year.

http://www.abc.net.au/tv/newinventors/txt/s2006698.htm

I'll sift through the article a little bit and post some of the interesting bits but basically the helmet acts like crumple zones in a car progressively absorbing impact forces from head movement significantly reducing the risk of head & brain injury.

[tnarg]

My understanding is (and this should be checked) that any helmet brought into the country and has been approved by NZ standards, is safe regardless of the price. A helmet imported privately may or may not achieve the required standards. But really it is a matter of buyer beware and it might be a case of you get what you pay for. Seeing it is my brains under my helmet and I know that they are worth protecting, I shall get one that will do the job and I shall do the research to make sure that is the case and pay the required dollars. If you haven't got much of a brain and go out and buy the cheapest because it is the cheapest, your brain is probably not worth protecting.

In the end, it is a matter of personal responsibility.

It might help raise the country's IQ.

Yeah hemets are meant to meet standards but how many newbies know that? both sellers and buyers.
If you buy a car the seatbelts have to meet a standard and they get checked/replaced to meet our standards or they cant get a wof or meet import regs so buyer never needs to be aware, everything done for them. Buy an unknown brand off the net and who knows what ya get.

[@mmie]

Actually the article has really valid points through out so what I might do is scan it at work tomorrow & post the whole article, the Don guy who invented this totall deserves to get this off the ground I think in is a fantastic idea and can only hope that the helmets can be created at a reasonable price so the helmets aren't too expensive so everyone can afford to have one!

[Grub]

A mate bought an $80.00 helmet its got a strange plastic strap catch. Its like a ratchet tounge..

That catch is probably ok, our $600 Nolans have that catch (assuming it is the same)

[@mmie]

Just found another video on the Cone Head liners http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4e45dXrB9k

The talk about Australian Standards in the article & videos, in NZ we go by the same standard for helmets