Motorcycle Safety Helmet Assessment hits milestone

More than 400 types of motorcycle helmet have been tested as part of an innovative government safety scheme designed to save lives.

Since its launch in 2007, the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP), which provides ratings of between one and five stars to show how well helmets perform over and above the minimum legal requirements, has conducted more than 13,000 high impact tests to provide safety ratings to 401 helmets.

Figures show that motorcyclists account for 21 per cent of deaths or serious injuries on the roads. It is estimated that the programme has contributed to a 38 per cent drop in motorcyclist fatalities since its launch. All helmets must meet minimum legal safety standards but the SHARP scheme uses a wider range of tests to provide riders with more information on how much protection a helmet can provide in a crash.

Andrew Jones, Road Safety Minister, said: “We have some of the safest roads in the world but we are determined to do more to improve safety for all road users including motorcyclists.

“SHARP rates hundreds of helmets based on thousands of tests and provides riders with the best safety information available. The confidence riders put in the ratings shows how vitally important they are in helping reduce the number of tragedies we see on our roads.”