'There's a little bit of a problem there, because it appears that the ACU have been 'selling' stickers to manufacturers whose helmets don't pass the necessary tests.'
Anybody looking at buying a non Snell helmet, don't go off the ACU standard, most helmets have this standard and it's not an acceptable standard to go off when choosing a helmet.
There is a new ratings test set up by the UK to improve the safety tests on helmets and it's called the SHARP test. This test is perfectly adequate, they take a helmet bought from a shop and test it, so the manufacturer has no way of knowing which particular helmet will be used for the testing and where it will be bought. The impact tests are higher than the Snell tests so some helmets that have the Snell rating haven't passed the Sharp Test with flying colours. Look up your helmet here:
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetlist?sharp-make=99&sharp-model=&sharp-type=All&sharp-rating=1&sharp-price-from=0&sharp-price-to=9999&discontinued=1
If you find your helmet you can click on the helmet and it will show you exactly how the helmet performed on the different regions of the helmet.
For me the Sharp Test is more than ample for kart racing. I am happy that the testing is unbiased and I am satisfied that the testing process is more than adequate for what I need.
Please note however that most motorcycle shops have no idea about the sharp test, there are no stickers on the helmets like the TYPE A standard so you have to find the model of helmet you are looking at and then go and check it up on the SHARP TEST website to see how it faired in the test.
A quick note about the sellers at motorcycle shops, do not trust them, they will tell you the ACU standard is fine on the basis that they have worn one for years, the trouble is they might have worn one for years but how many crashes have they actually had? You don't know how good the helmet is until you have had a crash. All of the dealers I came across didn't have a clue about safety standards. It's your head at the end of the day not theirs so don't be afraid to tell them how it is, you pick your own helmet don't let the salesman sell you one. They are pretty good with the advice about the fitting of a helmet though. Get one with the best fit and the highest ratings.
My helmet got 4 stars and it cost about �55. Dealer was trying to get me to buy a 1 star �80 helmet.
Chris.
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