From: les@sail.stanford.edu (Les Earnest)
Subject: ASTM bicycle helmet standard coming
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 01:22:07 GMT

A new bicycle helmet standard should be released shortly by the
American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM).  I believe that it will
offer good protection and more timely updates than the current U.S.
standards (ANSI and Snell).  I plan to recommend that the U.S. Cycling
Federation accept helmets meeting this standard effective January 1,
1994.

I've just returned from a meeting of the ASTM Sports Equipment Committee
(F-8) in New Orleans, where proposed standards for several kinds of
sports equipment were reviewed.  There were 37 participants, mostly
representing manufacturers and testing labs, with a few consumer
representatives and U.S. government types.

Unlike most other standards organizations, ASTM reviews its standards
twice each year to ensure that they remain up-to-date.  The F-8
committee has taken what I believe is a sensible approach: there is a
general helmet standard that applies to all sports and smaller
sport-specific standards that are based on the general standard.
Those that were reviewed at the meeting were:
  Baseball
  Bicycling
  Infant/Toddlers (principally as bicycle passengers)
  Competition Snow Skiing (Downhill & Super G)
  Football
  Skateboarding
  Multiple Activity
The Multiple Activity Helmet Standard, which is not yet ready for
release, is intended to cover a number of non-motorized sports for
which no specific standard has been developed.

I again pointed out to the committee that at least two roller skating
organizations (USAC/Roller Skating and International Inline Skating
Association) have found that helmets meeting the ANSI and Snell bicycle
helmet standards also work well for roller skating and suggested that
the ASTM bicycle helmet standard also be recognized as a roller
skating standard.  The committee member from Bell Helmets reported that
a person representing Rollerblades wants a different standard.

Having seen a version of the Rollerblades scheme, I expressed
disagreement with that idea.  As a result, I was appointed chairman of
a task group to try to resolve what should be used for roller skating.
Candidate standards include those for bicycling, skateboarding, and
"multiple activities."  Alternatively, a separate standard could be
developed just for roller skating.  Consumer cost considerations favor
choosing a standard that will be widely used, such as the one for
bicycling, but any special technical requirements should take
precedence.  So far I don't think that there are any.

A preliminary version of a "roll-off" testing standard was introduced
and will be added to the bicycle helmet standard as soon as it is
completed.  It will require that properly fastened helmets stay on the
head when struck from the front or back, rather than rolling off and
exposing the head to injury.  I believe that this will make the ASTM
standard significantly better than ANSI or Snell until they add such a
performance specification.

ASTM is taking a positive step in another direction by including a
vertical vision impairment specification, which is not covered by ANSI
or Snell.  Unfortunately, they did it in such a way that it will work
well only for a Cyclops with tunnel vision.  That is, the limits on
how much of the visual field the helmet can cover are specified for a
point in the middle of the brow rather than at the actual locations of
human eyes and require clear vision of only 30 degrees in the upward
direction (from straight ahead).  Inasmuch as most humans have two
eyes and can see about 60 degrees upward, I claim that this permits
helmet manufacturers to seriously impair vertical peripheral vision.
This is unacceptable because a cyclist in the hooks or using aero bars
depends on vision in the upward direction to detect oncoming
obstacles.

I mentioned to the committee that an opthalmologist colleague at Texas
Tech. has tested a number of people wearing existing bicycle helmets
and found that they provide clear vision up to 50 degrees.  I
recommended that an impairment standard close to this value be
adopted.

Because I was making trouble, I was appointed chairman of another task
group to recommend a new visual impairment standard.  This will
include both a change to a binocular vision specification for all
helmets and an increase in required upward vision for bicycle helmets
and possibly others.  Other task group members are Randy Swart of the
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, Dr. James Newman of Biokinetics
Associates (Ottawa), and Dr. James Rogers of Texas Tech.

--
Les Earnest           Phone:  415 941-3984    Fax: 415 941-3934
Internet: Les@cs.Stanford.edu              USMail: 12769 Dianne Drive
UUCP: . . . decwrl!cs.Stanford.edu!Les         Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.tech
From: julian@bjalon.demon.co.uk ("Julian Templeman")