Explanation of ECE 22.06 helmet regulations

Did you know that Lieutenant Colonel TE Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, is indirectly responsible for the mandatory wearing of motorcycle helmets?

After his death, six days after the 1935 crash in his beloved Brough Superior SS10, neurosurgeon Hugh Cairns was convinced that Lawrence’s death could have been prevented by the use of appropriate headgear. Cairns (who became Sir Huge Cairns in 1946) championed the idea that helmets would prevent unnecessary loss of life and on 7 February 1973, more than two decades after his death, the Motor Cycles (Wearing of Helmets) Regulations 1973 (SI, 1973, No. 180), of 7 February 1973, made it a legal requirement for everyone to wear a helmet in the UK. There is, however, one notable exception, thanks to Sidney Bidwell, former MP for Ealing-Southall.

Bidwell argued that Sikhs should be exempt from helmet regulations because a Sikh had never been ordered to “…discard his turban in favour of a war cap or the tin helmet worn by other soldiers in combat fire”, so why should they doff it in favour of a crash helmet? He also noted that turbans were permitted in three branches of the British Army, so enforcing the mandatory wearing of crash helmets by motorbike-loving Sikhs was, well, nonsense.

This was not the only opposition to the 1973 Act, others argued that the legislation was essentially pointless, as 88 per cent of motorcyclists wore helmets in 1973, so some people, such as Fred Hill, founder of MAG (Motorcycle Action Group), and the MP for Wolverhampton Southwest, a certain Enoch Powell, saw the legislation as nothing more than an infringement on personal liberty, and it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge that a handful of motorcyclists still do so…

In the meantime, helmet regulations have been refined and ratified to define exactly what constitutes a ‘road-legal helmet’ and what does not. So, as things stand, a road-legal helmet in the UK must meet one of the following criteria:

• British Standard BS 6658:1985 and BSI Kitemark
• A member standard of the European Economic Area which provides at least the same level of safety and protection as BS 6658:1985 and has an equivalent mark to the BSI Kitemark
• UN ECE Regulation (also known as ECE) 22.05

We’ll focus on the last point, ECE 22.05, because it’s recognised in at least fifty countries outside the UK and it’s the marking you need when buying a new helmet to ensure you’re on the right side of the law. The problem is that ECE 22.05, which was implemented in 2000, was replaced by ECE 22.06 in 2020. So why is ECE 22.05 still on the GOV.UK website?

Don’t worry, ECE 22.05 helmets are still perfectly legal on UK roads, so maybe treat ECE 22.06 as a gentle reminder that things have moved on when it comes to head protection. Unless you bought a new ECE 22.05 helmet after January 2024, when the ECE 22.06 regulations came into force…

The bigger question is, what makes ECE 22.06 better than ECE 22.05? The short answer is a more holistic (I hate that damn word, but it works in this context) approach to helmet safety. There are a ton of new measures, but since time is on our side, here are the basics in no particular order:

Vents

No more showing off with Darth Vader’s vents not working, as according to ECE 22.06 regulations they must function as vents and not be used for cosplay purposes.

Noise

The powers that be have officially decided that it’s good to hear what’s going on around us, so helmets that block out road noise above a certain level won’t work.

Shell

How about two new reinforced plates that can withstand up to 630 Newtons on both sides of the cover, with more attention paid to reducing shell deformation under pressure? Here you go.

Hit

Impact-absorbing inserts will now be rigorously tested for added head protection with a new “oblique impact” category. These inserts will also be assessed for how they handle sweat, hairspray and beard oil.

Abrasion

Greater attention will be paid to the integrity of the shell when in contact with an abrasive surface. This testing area also includes a puncture test to ensure safety when in contact with sharp objects at high speed.

Canopies

There have been a few further tweaks to prevent tinted visors in their various forms from blocking the main/car lights, and a new directive has been introduced to ensure the driver’s peripheral vision is unobstructed, and other tests have been carried out to ensure the visor is sufficiently scratch resistant. But the most exciting thing is that the visors must be able to withstand the force of a steel ball hitting the visor at 180mph!

Stripes

A 10kg weight dropped from a height of 0.75m to produce at least three kilonewtons of tension will show whether the strip is up to the task. It is not as good as the steel ball.

Accessories

In short, helmet accessories (e.g. intercoms) must be compatible with your helmet to ensure they do not pose a safety risk.

Construction

Sure, the improvements in shell, impact-absorbing layer and liner testing are obvious, but the emphasis in this sector is on the safety of these newfangled modular helmets. I don’t own one of these – I wouldn’t have one at home – so feel free to check the details for yourself, because we don’t have time.

Later.