New Website Rates Helmet Safety

The Department for Transport (DfT) has launched a new website which lists safety ratings for more than 200 motorcycle helmets. 

It will be of interest to firms providing bike insurance that the safety performance of helmets can differ by as much as 70 per cent. 

Helmets are rated for their performance by the DfT's Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme, or SHARP, which uses a number of tests to determine how much protection a helmet can provide in a crash. 

Although all helmets must meet minimum legal safety standards, the DfT's scheme makes use of a wider range of tests, which award ratings of between one and five stars. 

On the new website, readers will also find information on how to find the right helmet, demonstrations of how the SHARP tests are performed and how to make sure a helmet fits properly.