How safe are standard certified motorcycle safety helmets? Malaysian postal delivery riders scenario

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the proportion of motorcycle safety helmets (MSHs) used by postal delivery riders (PDRs) that comply with the Standards and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia's (SIRIM) MSH standard guidelines and identify factors that contribute toward compliance of used MSHs with the standards. Methods: The presence of SIRIM certification label, the status of MSH, type of chinstrap, MSH crash history, and duration of MSH use were observed. The dependent variable was the results of the SIRIM testing procedures (SIRIM tests). MSHs that passed the SIRIM tests were considered "standard certified" MSHs. Results: The odds of the complimentary MSHs passing all of the SIRIM tests were 3.7 times the odds of the self-purchased MSHs passing the tests. The odds of MSHs with the SIRIM certification label passing all of the SIRIM tests were 24.2 times the odds of MSHs without the SIRIM certification label, and the odds of MSHs used <3 years passing the SIRIM tests were 3.75 times the odds of the MSHs used ≥3.8 years. Conclusion: PDRs provided with complimentary MSHs with the SIRIM certification label by the employer for their daily delivery routines and duration of MSH used for less than 3 years were found to be safe MSHs for male occupational riders in Malaysia.

The Effect of Motorcycle Helmet Type on Head Response in Oblique Impact

“…These helmets are either non-certified by international standards or need proper safety precautions, such as half-coverage helmets. Non-certified helmet usage is prevalent among occupational riders in Malaysia, according to studies by Kulanthayan et al (2012) and Yellappan et al (2019) [41], [42]. As such, it is crucial to assess the protective performance of motorcycle helmets better to understand the association between helmet use and head injury.…”

The influence of helmet certification in motorcycle helmets protective performance

“…The example of key international standards among others include the FMVSS 218 -Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards in the USA, UNR No. 22.05 -United Nations in Europe, BS 6658 -British Standard Institution in the UK, AS/NZS 1698:2006 -Australia and New Zealand, and JIS T 8133:2015 -Japan [1][2][3][4][5][6]. In the case of selling imported helmet in local market, foreign manufacturers have to get their helmets certified separately to each national or regional standard before they can sell their products in those markets.…”

“…Many countries have adopted protocols from the United Nation Regulation (UNR) No. 22.05 with minor modifications. For instance, FMVSS 218 requires testing helmet impacts at speeds of 5.2 m/s and 6 m/s, while BS 6658 tests impacts between 4.6 m/s to 7.5 m/s speeds.…”

“…Malaysia also adopts the UNR No. 22.05 as the basis for its national motorcycle helmet standard MS 1. The testing and certification process to this standard is overseen by two official agencies, which are the Department of Standards Malaysia (Standards Malaysia) and the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (SIRIM) Berhad.…”

“…With not undergoing standardized impact absorption and penetration resistance tests, the ability of these unregulated helmets to effectively protect the head in accidents is uncertain. Both occupational motorcyclist case studies by Kulanthayan et al [21] and Yellappan et al [22] focused on non-certified open face and half coverage helmet usage, which dominated their study populations in Malaysia. It is worth noting that half-coverage helmets lack certification approval and are among the lightest-weight options in various motorcycle helmet types.…”