It’s no secret that racing helmets are of key importance in the context of motor sport and broadly speaking it ‘s fairly obvious to assert that helmets exist to protect drivers, but what are the main aims of motor sport helmets specifically?
The head is the most fragile part of the human body. The skull, relatively speaking, isn’t very thick and, more importantly, inside the skull is the precious cargo of the brain. The brain as the seat of consciousness is of crucial importance and only a small impact can cause serious injury and long lasting damage.
You might assume that drivers wear helmets so that their head is protected in the event of a major crash. Of course this is one of the aims, however most often the helmet protects the head as the driver is jerked around in their seat. These small impacts could lead to loss of consciousness or even serious injury without the safeguard of a helmet.
Helmets are extremely optimized to protect the head and modern helmets combine a tough outer shell with a comfortable inner lining. The best helmets use a mixture of materials such as carbon and Kevlar to produce an extremely durable outer shell. In order to ensure the integrity of the helmet they must undergo very rigorous testing.
Most driver’s helmets are closed faced, to offer protection to the face as well as to the cranium, however open faced helmets are sometimes used in conjunction with protective goggles.
