The Department for Transport has given the contract to manage its Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP) safety scheme to TRL (formerly the Transport Research Laboratory). The two-year deal will see the Wokingham-based research organisation manage and deliver the consumer information scheme, which carries out NCAP-style performance testing on motorcycle helmets.
Set up in 2007, SHARP aims to provide more information on helmet performance than the simple ‘pass’ rating of ECE 22.05/06 or BSI approval with a five-star rating scheme, depending on the amount of protection provided. The scheme had a slightly rocky start after some top-end helmet firms found themselves receiving the same scores as very cheap entry-level lids. Things settled down after that, but the scheme has suffered from a lower profile in recent years – so the Department for Transport is relaunching it with a publicity and marketing boost, with the aim of improving safety for riders.
SHARP aims to test around 30 helmets each year and according to TRL, it utilises research findings from international studies on road traffic incidents involving motorcyclists. These studies replicate real-world accidents in laboratory conditions, allowing for the determination of impact locations, frequencies, and severities on helmets. By subjecting helmets to more demanding impacts than required by the statutory regulations, SHARP identifies helmets that perform significantly better in real-world collisions.
Dr Phil Martin, head of transport safety at TRL, said: “Our appointment on the SHARP programme feels like a return to our roots. From developing the original SHARP protocols, to advising the DfT on updates to the test protocols to reflect evolving helmet designs, TRL has been involved with SHARP for almost 20 years. Over time we have collected better data and provided better insights about the head injuries suffered by motorcyclists in road collisions. This data not only reveals the cause and location of injuries, but also the long term effects, derived from decades of collision research and our experience in providing expert testimony for personal injury claims.”
And Martin re-iterates the point of the SHARP scheme: while all legal bike helmets have an equal base level of protection in terms of ECE 22.06 certification, they do vary in ultimate safety performance. “Although all helmets that meet the minimum standards are inherently safe, some provide superior protection. SHARP solves the challenge for consumers in identifying these distinctions, as price alone does not serve as an indicator. Since its launch, helmet manufacturers and retailers have embraced the SHARP star rating system. We have confidence that they will demonstrate their continued enthusiasm for the scheme by participating in the process to update and expand it.”