Australian NSW Star Helmet Testing

Summary: Australia's New South Wales has a bicycle helmet testing program that looks at all the right performance factors and provides detailed public results.

Australia's state of New South Wales has developed an exemplary bicycle helmet test program. Helmets are tested for energy reduction in low, medium and high speed crashes, oblique energy management, stability on the head during a crash, coverage, retention system strength and ability to handle point loads. A weighting formula produces star ratings. The results are public, and you can see them on the Transport for NSW site.

The NSW Star protection ratings are based on:

oblique impact energy management (32 per cent)
energy reduction in a high-speed crash (14 per cent)
energy reduction in a low-speed crash (14 per cent)
energy reduction in a typical medium-speed crash (14 per cent)
stability on the head in a crash (6 per cent)
coverage (6 per cent)
retention system strength (6 per cent)
ability to distribute crash point loading evenly (8 per cent).

Many will quibble with the weightings, including us, but we think they include all of the elements that a really well-thought-out standard should have. They go well beyond any other rating system we have seen anywhere. We wish that somebody's testing of US helmets could be as comprehensive as this.

The ratings include a detailed .pdf for each helmet that tells you how it scored on each element. That lets you select for the type of helmet you think you need most. If you are a racer you might prioritize performance in high-speed crashes, for example. A senior might look for those that scored best in low-speed crashes, oblique impact energy management and coverage, hoping to avoid a concussion in the average bicycle crash.

You can access the list of the helmets that scored 5 or 4 stars on the website. Note that these are helmets marketed in Australia, not Europe or the US. Some could be the same helmet, but others may have the same appearance and model designation but be entirely different in performance level from the same helmet sold in another market.

In addition to the star ratings, there are detailed explanations of the tests on the Transport for NSW site.

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