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#1 | |
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Had a response back regarding criticism of SHARP ratings by retailers and org'ers. Sharing is caring...
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#2 |
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My main niggle with the SHARP ratings is that the results are dumbed down too much.
Giving star ratings is all very well if you have some idea of what the stars mean, but in their results we have no idea what the sliding scale is. For example if 5*="100%", what does 1* equal, 10% or 90%? If it's 10% then I don't want a 1* helmet, if it's 90% then it might not bother me too much. They measure accelerations so why not publish them? Why convert it to some unknown arbitrary scale? Still, it's always good to have more info I suppose, and it does tend to concentrate the minds of the manufacturers. At least it was a decent reply to your question.
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#3 |
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I think it's pretty transparent, and most people that criticise the tests have bought an expensive helmet and don't like to be told it may not do a good job, but that's not to say your helmet will perform the same as the impact could be different, just remember it's a guide only.
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#4 |
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RATINGS
SHARP is the only assessment of helmet performance that results in a safety rating. Once a helmet has been subjected to our rigorous testing process, we award it a SHARP rating of between 1 and 5 stars. A 5-star helmet offers good levels of protection right around the helmet. That’s not to say a lower rated helmet won’t protect you. Regardless of its SHARP rating, every helmet on sale in the UK must meet at least one regulatory standard, ensuring it offers at least a minimum level of protection. Our tests have shown that not all helmets offer the same level of impact protection. Individually, we can all judge the price, extra features and build quality of a helmet. SHARP offers you independent advice on that often hidden property of a motorcycle helmet - how well it can protect you in the event of a crash. During testing we’ve found differences in performance of as much as 70% between high and low scoring helmets. That’s why the SHARP scheme is so important. Our independent advice can help to ensure you choose a helmet that offers the best protection possible. Remember, fit comes first. The secret is finding several helmets that fit you best, and then selecting the helmet with the highest SHARP rating. |
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#5 |
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MPACT ZONE DIAGRAMS
We listened to your feedback, which told us that you’d like more information regarding the performance of helmets; in particular those areas where a helmet has performed well or could be considered as lacking protection. We have responded by providing an IMPACT ZONE DIAGRAM as part of each helmet data page. In each diagram, the SHARP test point has been attributed a colour to show the level of performance measured against a flat surface in our high speed test (8.5m/s). You are able to cycle through the images to get a better understanding of the all round protection offered by each helmet. The impact zones have been graded in six colours which are marked as being from 'Very good' to 'Poor'. The boundary for each colour is linked to understanding of the risk of injury established in the “COST 327 Research” (the most thorough investigation of motorcycle crashes conducted in Europe). Analysis of more than 350 individual crashes was supplemented by further research that reconstructed a sample of those crashes to determine the relationship between the forces experienced by the rider’s brain and the injury received. The impact zone colours are based upon discrete brain acceleration values: Green - Peak acceleration up to 275g: the ECE 22.05 test limit at 7.5 m/s. Yellow - Peak acceleration up to 300g: the British Standard 6658:1985 test limit at 7.5 m/s used by SHARP as the maximum permitted value for a 5–Star rating. Orange - Peak acceleration up to 400g Brown - Peak acceleration up to 420g Red - Peak acceleration up to 500g Black - Peak acceleration in excess of 500g. Manufacturers are advised of the SHARP rating before it is published and they are able to lodge an appeal if our measured data does not match what they have seen in development or production testing. This process ensures that the SHARP rating is representative of their helmet’s performance. It should be remembered that SHARP carries out 32 impact tests on a helmet model before awarding the SHARP star rating. Helmets that offer good levels of protection uniformly around the head rate highly in SHARP. That’s not to say a 1-star helmet won’t protect you. Regardless of its SHARP rating, every helmet on sale in the UK meets at least one recognised standard, ensuring it offers at least a minimum level of protection. |
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#6 |
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That's a lot more info than I've seen before, cheers for posting it. Looks like they are actually responding to criticisms..........which is nice.
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#7 |
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. . . but none of that answers embee's question:
" Giving star ratings is all very well if you have some idea of what the stars mean, but in their results we have no idea what the sliding scale is. For example if 5*="100%", what does 1* equal, 10% or 90%? If it's 10% then I don't want a 1* helmet, if it's 90% then it might not bother me too much. " although 70% difference between high and low scores, which is a worry!
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