America is a wonderful place. Do you want a soft drink? Pop into any Georgia convenience store and you’ll find a selection that fills a wall of refrigerators. Do you want a car? You might want to avoid one of the many models that are on the current list for recalls due to questionable air bags. Even then, you still have a lot of models to choose from.
Motorcyclists face the same quandary. There are a lot of different bikes to pick from. And then there are all the accessories to consider. Do you buy leathers? What about a helmet?
In Georgia, the helmet issue is settled for you. The state requires all motorcyclists to wear protective headgear. And further, the types of helmets that are approved are any that meet the latest standards set by the federal Department of Transportation. That still leaves a wide-open field, however. So how do you pick the right one?
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. The DOT rating is the place to start. From there, you might find that going with a helmet with the SNELL certification is some sort of a step up. Many experts consider Snell Foundation approval harder to get.
It would be nice if you could gauge the safety of a helmet by the price you pay, but experts say even that is no guarantee.
The sad reality, according to experts, is that there’s no way to predict the kind of accident that a motorcyclist is likely to experience and no single helmet design can cover all the variables.
So it would seem that the best answer to the question is to find a helmet that carries the certification you prefer, is in the price range you want and perhaps has available options enough so that you can give it your personal touch.
Vehicle collisions may be unavoidable, but if the negligence of another driver leaves you in the dust and injured you have rights protected by the law. That includes the right to seek compensation for your injuries.