Scooterotica

Hello all. What's the view on DOT approved full face crash helmets in the uk? Are they legal? I'm assuming you would not be covered in a personal injury claim? Thoughts please??

If a helmet is tested to the British standard and have a kite mark,it doesn't matter if it is DOT approved or not,its still legal to ride while wearing it in the UK.If its not its illegal.

Crash helmets can carry ECE 22-05 approval and are legal in the UK.

roli-olo wrote:Crash helmets can carry ECE 22-05 approval and are legal in the UK.

The regulation is that a legal requirement for safety helmets must reach one of the following -




. British Standard BS6658:1985 and carry the BSI kitemark
. UNECE regulation 22-05
. A European Economic Area Member standard offering at least the same safety and protection as BS6658:1985 and carry a mark equivalent to the BSI mark.

And all have been tested to at least the British Standard.

So,to sum up crash helmets to be road legal in the UK must display the BSI kite mark or an equivalent e.g.ECE22.05.
Testing differs between these two bodies however both are accepted in the UK.

Thanks all. I fancied a Biltwell, but looks like they're only DOT approved

I see plenty of Biltwell lids out and about, but they are not UK legal, same goes with Simpson lids which seem to be a favourite for many scooterists. I guess it's your head so it's your choice, but at least having DOT should give you some piece of mind but DOT standards are not as high as ECE...but of course that doesn't mean they wouldn't meet the EC standards if tested.

I considered a Biltwell lid but in the end went for a Bell Bullitt, very similar style but the Bell is ECE approved and has better viewing angles and a proper visor.

DOT doesn't count for much even in the US. They publish the standard (which is low) and it's up to manufacturers to meet that standard and self regulate. Plenty of Chinese helmets out there with DOT emblazoned on them and I'm sure they never get tested. Hell, you can even buy DOT stickers in bulk. Here in the US I ignore that and go for anything that is SNELL approved (independent org that actually tests and publishes a list of helmets that meet it's higher standard).