*More Motorcycle Helmet Trivia*

We've all heard of a helmet having a "Snell" rating. Did you ever wonder what or who "Snell" is? Well, if you have, you are in luck because we're about to learn more about this. If not, well just bear with me and maybe you'll be glad you did...or not.

There are different safety agencies that govern whether a helmet is safe enough to protect your head in the event of a crash. One of these agencies is Snell. Though unlike "DOT", Snell is not a government agency.

One safety agency that wasn't government aided was the Snell Memorial Foundation. It was formed in 1957 in memory of William "Pete" Snell, a sports car racer fatally injured in a racing accident. His friends and widow formed the Foundation for the purpose of providing independent motorcycle helmet testing, with no bias to the government or the manufacturer. Their testing focused on performance, rather than materials and design. They're now recognized and respected as the world leader in helmet testing. Every good helmet has a Snell Sticker in it.

To get a look a the 2010 Snell Motorcycle helmet standards go the link: http://www.smf.org/

When buying a new helmet, which you should do at least every five years, make sure it is either DOT approved or Snell approved.

*Where Did The First Motorcycle Helmet Come From?*

To answer this question let's go back to the first motorcycle. It's reported that the first motorcycle was invented by Gottlieb Daimler in 1885. It's not thought to have been built for speed like the motorcycles built today. With speed not being a factor, nobody really thought of motorcycle helmets. But human nature rules, so naturally we had build them to go faster and faster. But as the speed of motorcycles increased, so did the fatal accidents.

Between 1931 and 1953, the race for the fastest motorcycle was between two competitors- Harley-Davidson and Indian Motorcycles. It was then that University of Southern California Professor C.F. "Red" Lombard developed a motorcycle helmet designed to absorb the shock of an impact. Along with the layer of padding in a helmet, this helmet also had another outer layer of padding that not only absorbed, but spread out the energy created by impact. In 1953, Professor Lombard applied for a patent for his helmet. This was the beginning of the development of the modern-day motorcycle helmet.