Jeremy Parker said:That is an important question actually, which people should ask more
often.
a) They must pass either the European or North American standards,
perhaps even both, although meeting both conflicts with criterion b)
b) They must be as light and as cool as possible, i.e. only just
meet criterion a)
Though the note to consider with b) is that they will do so variously
well according to the budget level. Expensive helmets will probably not
surpass the minimum standard any more than a cheap one, but they will
meet it with greater comfort for the rider. The extra money goes on
retaining the strength while creating more holes in the structure, which
increases ventilation and reduces weight.
Quoted message said:c) They must have a high enough profit margin to pay various lawyers
fees etc. You will need to defend yourself against the lawsuits
from grieving relatives when your helmet doesn't actually work (Well,
not lawsuits preferably. It's best to settle out of court, because
then you can keep the amount of payouts secret, which is advisable.
I've heard it suggested that this cost might be about a third the
cost of a helmet, although I can't imagine ever being able to extract
good data from any helmet manufacturer)
I suspect that the above is quite possibly Total Bollocks (TM). All you
have to do is demonstrate that your product meets the specifications you
say it meets. It is quite noticeable that helmet ads from helmet
manufacturers don't make a point of telling you how safe you'll be.
They tell you how stylish and comfortable it is, and the small print
tells you the specification to which they're tested. Nothing more than
that, so you can't really get away with saying they don't do what they say.
The point of profit margin isn't to pay for lawyers, it's to make money,
which is what commercial enterprises (try to) *do*.
Quoted message said:d) They must make you look like Darth Vader rather than some dork
with a pudding basin on their head
But if you want to look like a pro these days then that means wearing a
hat. And that they make you look a plonker is a pretty moot point to a
lot of people that find lycra clothing *at least* as ridiculous to look
at as a hat.
Points c) and d) suggest you've got lost the ability to Stick To The
Clear Facts: time to realise that that doesn't do anyone any favours and
just gives numpties a good reason not to believe anything you say.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
