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Study says 1/4th of hockey helmets are unsafe

Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 1:28 pm
by Avyran
Link to the article... it's an Outside the Lines article for ESPN.
Out of 32 helmets in the marketplace that were tested by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, nine failed to earn a single star on a five-star scale and were classified as "not recommended." Just one helmet, made by Warrior Sports, received three stars. The rest received one or two stars...

Hockey players wearing the "not recommended" helmets risk incurring at least six concussions per season, and in some cases more than eight, according to Virginia Tech...

Virginia Tech introduced a similar ratings system for football helmets in 2011. The rankings drew some criticism but ultimately led companies to overhaul their product lines.

"We don't think anybody should be playing in these helmets," Duma said of the non-recommended models...

Bauer, which sells more hockey helmets than any other company, received low ratings for all 12 of its helmets (including its sister company, Mission): Two helmets received two stars; seven received one star; and three were not recommended.

Duma said he agreed that "there will never be a perfect helmet that will prevent all concussions. It's about risk reduction. The reality is when you look at the bottom and the top helmets, you're talking about massive reductions in acceleration, over half. I think almost all biomechanical engineers would agree that that's a significant difference."
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