Helmet Standards

There are 4 common standards to which helmets can be held. In the U.S. it's the DOT FMVSS 218. In Britain it's the BSI 6658. The European Standard is called ECE 22-05. These 3 are the government mandated minimum standards helmets are legally required to pass in those countries. A voluntary, private standard is the recently updated Snell M2010 which is used mostly in the U.S. However, changes adopted in the new M2010 take effect on Oct. 1, 2009 make it possible for manufacturers to meet both Snell and ECE requirements. Thus making those Snell certified helmets legal for street riding in Europe.

Each of these standards have different rigidity and G-force requirements. Generally, from softest to hardest you'd find DOT, then the ECE, the BSI and Snell, which requires the hardest helmets.

Most racing organizations will accept any of the above certifications. The exception is that some European organizations don’t allow DOT only certification. Mostly, it’s presumed, because the DOT allows the manufacturer to certify their own helmets. BFI, ECE and Snell each do their own testing.