question about dot, and snell ratings

[sexysilverado45]

im looking at some shoei helments and one says

dot:218
snell:2005

the other says

dot:218
snell:2010

whats the difference and which one is safer

also with leat neck braces im looking at buying the 300$ one i think its the adventure what is the difference in that and say the 600$ sport neck brace.


thanks for all your help.

[DnB_racing]

the new snell rating 2010 has to do to meet European specifications, unless you racing nascar or super bikes, that will require the 2010 standards, the 2005 will be just as safe for the average racer or rider,as far as dot ratings they are a mandatory safety that all helmets have to meet, the snell is a voluntary testing that's above dot

[Quad18star]

DOT is the bare minimum tests that a helmet has to pass in order to be put on a store shelf and sold.

Snell is a voluntarily independent testing that puts a helmet through a full aray of tests in order to get the SNELL stamp.

Anything that passes a Snell test is certified for 3 years after manufacturing date to withstand the testing so long as the helmet has not received any damage which could compromise it's safety.

Snell 2010 is the newest up-to-date testing .

So if I were you, I'd buy a Snell 2010 helmet.

[ballzdeep38]

Snell ratings are also updated/ revised every 5 years. some racing organization (NHRA, drag strips, and some race tracks, etc.) require that you have the most updated snell rating on your helmet in order to get on the track. Snell 2005 wont cut it there. long story short, get the Snell 2010 helmet and be done with it...

[Regular_Joe]

Snell 2010 is the latest version of testing guidelines. Generally the thoughts are that Snell defines more rigorous testing, and therefor their helmets are better than plain DOT rated ones. Recently Snell came under a lot of fire when a study was done that proved that DOT riders typically faired better in crashes and why. Here is a good read.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/automobiles/27SNELL.html?_r=2