SHARP (the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme) is a

British government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...

quality ratings scheme for

motorcycle helmet A motorcycle helmet is a type of helmet used by motorcycle riders. Motorcycle helmets contribute to motorcycle safety by protecting the rider's head in the event of an impact. They reduce the risk of head injury by 69% and the risk of death by 42% ...

s, established in 2007, with the objective of improving

motorcycle safety Motorcycle safety is the study of the risks and dangers of motorcycling, and the approaches to mitigate that risk, focusing on motorcycle design, road design and traffic rules, rider training, and the cultural attitudes of motorcyclists and other r ...

on UK roads. Helmets which are selected for testing by SHARP are purchased from consumer retailers. This ensures that the helmets tested by SHARP are exactly the same as what UK motorcyclists can buy. The helmets are tested, seven for each model, using 32 tests, which aim to measure the protection they offer the

brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in a v ...

in impacts at a variety of speeds, and against both flat surfaces and kerbs. It rates the helmet models from one to five stars - with five being the highest, and states that a five star rated helmet "offers good levels of protection right around the helmet." Nigel Mills of the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

criticised the SHARP scheme in a paper in 2009, examining its testing of rotational acceleration, despite SHARP using the test procedures specified in

British Standards British Standards (BS) are the standards produced by the BSI Group which is incorporated under a royal charter and which is formally designated as the Standards organization#National standards bodies, national standards body (NSB) for the UK. The ...

BS 6658, and also the United Nations

World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations The World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations is a working party (WP.29) of the Inland Transport Committee (ITC) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Its responsibility is to manage the multilateral Agreements ...

ECE Regulation 22. The UK's

Transport Research Laboratory TRL Limited, trading as TRL (formerly Transport Research Laboratory) is an independent private company offering a transport consultancy and research service to the public and private sector. Originally established in 1933 by the UK Government ...

(TRL) delivered a detailed response addressing the Nigel Mills paper in November 2009. SHARP stress that irrespective of their own ratings, all helmets sold in the UK have been certified to comply with the relevant legal standard, namely ECE R22. However, it also points out that there is a 70% difference in protection between a SHARP one star rating compared to their five star rating. SHARP has been given two prestigious

road safety award A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s; the

Prince Michael International Road Safety Award The Prince Michael International Road Safety Award is an annual award presented by Prince Michael of Kent since 1987 for outstanding achievement and innovation in improving road safety globally and is the top international road safety award. His ...

(2013, Motorcycle category) in recognition of its outstanding contribution to improving road safety, and the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) annual Road Safety Award recognising achievements in helping

motorcyclists Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small- displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous c ...

. Some retailers of motorcycle helmets – and many riders globally – use SHARP star ratings as a selection criterion.

Certimoov ratings in France

Mirroring SHARP, work in France began on a similar programme in 2014. The MAIF Foundation, in partnership with the University of Strasbourg, started a project that resulted in Certimoov. Certimoov testing recreates oblique impacts and integrates a new brain model to measure the effect of a collision on the

. The Certimoov test results classify helmets according to the level of safety – mirroring SHARP by using star rating from 0 to 5. Additionally, Certimoov tests Bicycle helmets too.

References

External links

Official website
Motorcycle safety organizations Helmets Motorcycle safety gear 2007 establishments in the United Kingdom {{measurement-stub