Motorcycle helmets—A state of the art review

• Road accidents are one of the major causes of death in the world.
• Motorcyclists are less protected when compared to users of some other vehicles, such as car occupants.
• Rotational acceleration is a mechanism of severe head injuries.
• Currently, motorcycle helmet standards do not access rotational acceleration.
• Finite Element Method is useful to reconstruct real accidents and predict head injuries.

This paper tries to make an overview of the work carried out by scientific community in the area of road helmets safety. In an area that is constantly being pushed forward by market competition, self-awareness of danger and tighter standards, several research groups around the world have contributed to safety gear improvement.In this work concepts related to head impact protection and energy absorption are explained. It also makes reference to the theories related to the development of helmets, as well as to the different existing types nowadays. The materials that are typically used in impact situations and new design concepts are also approached. In addition, it is presented a literature review of current – and most commonly used – helmet test standards, along with new tests and helmet concepts to assess the effects of rotational motion.In a non-restrictive, and never up-to-date report, a state-of-art review on road helmets safety is done, with a special insight into brain injury, helmet design and standards.