How to select the right Helmet.
By Harold Morrissette

Style:
The primary style normally found off-road is the 'Motocross' helmet. Two of the other common styles for off-road riding are the full-face and the open-face helmet. The full-face helmet will provide you with the most protection as most come with a built in visor. We recommend the 'Motocross' helmet for anyone riding their quad aggressively. The 'Motocross' helmet covers most of your face. It has a solid piece, which covers your chin and jaw. An open-face helmet is an option for the casual trail riders. It offers less protection because it does not have a chin piece. We do not recommend half helmets for off-road riding as they provide very little protection to your lower face or jaw area. It is highly recommended that all ATV’ers wear approved goggles or appropriate eye protection while wearing any 'Motocross' or open face helmet.

Composition:
Helmets are available in a variety of materials. The most common materials for the outer shell (the hard outer coating) are polycarbonate compounds and laminated fiberglass. Helmet composition is especially important if you intend to custom-paint or otherwise decorate your helmet. If you intend to custom-paint your helmet, you should keep in mind that some paints can chemically react with polycarbonate compounds, causing the outer shell to decompose. Laminated fiberglass helmets tend to be a little heavier, but may be painted without damage. You should always check the manufacturer's recommendations before applying paint or decals to any helmet.

Safety Standards Certification:
ATVers should only choose helmets that meet or exceed both the Snell and D.O.T. standards. Helmets that only meet the minimum D.O.T. requirements can be self-certified by the manufacturer, without outside testing, which can lead to wide discrepancies in performances. Snell certification requires a higher standard of testing requirements to be passed before the helmet receives the Snell certification. We strongly urge helmet purchasers to look for the D.O.T and Snell certification, which can be a label, attached to the inner lining of the desired helmet. Next month we will cover shopping, fitting and caring for your helmet.