Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

New motorcycle helmet makes wearing and removal a snap

Albert Khoury
By
Motorcycle helmets have evolved over the years to lightweight, technological marvels of safety. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), helmets are 37 percent effective in preventing motorcycle deaths and 67 percent effective in preventing brain injuries. However, the design structures of the helmets have remained mostly unchanged for quite a while. We still have four or five basic types, including the full face, open face or three-quarter, half, and modular helmets. For the most part, these helmets will not fit properly without a chin strap, and by design are loose in certain areas to allow the rider’s head to fit. One Australian company, Vozz Helmets, is aiming to expand the possibilities of helmet safety and design, right down to the way we put one on.

Vozz’s Voztec System, as the company calls it, enjoys some advantages over traditional helmet design. The helmet operates with a rear opening hinge, allowing the rider to snap the helmet on rather than squeezing their head into it. Because of this, the helmet can be made to fit closer, since the opening at the bottom does not have to be large enough to fit a human head.

Recommended Videos

The snug fit has eliminated the need for a chin strap. Instead, the Vozz helmet has an adjustable chin cup. The chin bar extends underneath the jawline, giving the helmet a more aerodynamic shape while also providing extra protection. There is no “strap creep,” which occurs when a strap loosens over time with use and wear, and fewer snag points.

Related

In an emergency situation, medical personnel must remove the injured rider’s helmet without causing undue stress on the neck and spine. Modern helmets do have a safety release system, usually in the form of red tabs that, when pulled, release the cheek pads from the helmet and allow easier removal. In extreme cases, the helmet must be cut off the rider’s head. Vozz’s safety release system allows the helmet to be removed safely and in less time than a normal brain bucket.

Vozz will be releasing its own helmet, the RS 1.0, and the company says that the Voztec System can be incorporated into any other full face helmet. The RS 1.0 is available with 3 shell sizes and 3 EPS liners, in addition to comfort liners. The helmet is DOT and ECE approved, and will run for about $900 including helmet bag and tinted visor. Look for its launch in early 2016.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Albert Khoury
Albert Khoury
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Al started his career at a downtown Manhattan publisher, and has since worked with digital and print publications. He's…
3 next-gen helmet designs that could curb concussions in the NFL
Kollide helmet frame

For decades, the appearance of football helmets hasn’t changed much. The technology within them, however, is constantly being upgraded to make the game safer for athletes. After the links between chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and football head injuries became clear, the NFL turned an eye to helmet design.

In 2019, the NFL launched its Helmet Challenge, which would award grants to innovators who developed helmets that outperformed the current helmets on the field in protecting players from head injuries. The first prototypes were submitted in July 2021, and the league spent months subjecting them to a variety of abuses in the lab to see how they held up.

Read more
The Offer’s new trailer explores the making of The Godfather
Dan Fogler talks to someone at a restaurant in The Offer.

The Godfather is a masterpiece of American cinema that changed the movies forever. However, the epic saga of the Corleone crime family isn't the only reason to appreciate the film. This April, Paramount+ is dramatizing the behind-the-scenes struggle to bring The Godfather to theaters in a new miniseries, The Offer.

The Offer is based on the experiences of producer Albert S. Ruddy, who is portrayed by Miles Teller in the series. In the first trailer for the show, Ruddy is extremely passionate about Mario Puzo's novel. Unfortunately, not everyone shares that passion. The Hollywood studios aren't exactly eager to jump on the project. And the subject matter also seems to be a touchy subject for both Italian-American advocates and actual crime families.

Read more
Striking new Burning Red hybrid G-Shock fitness watches will make you stand out
Casio G Shock Burning Red models.

One of our favorite things about Casio’s G-Shock range of watches is the breadth of choice there is when it comes to colors and styles. We reviewed the simple black version of the GBD-200 Bluetooth fitness watch, but if that’s not bright enough for you then take a look at the new Burning Red series, which paints the GDB-200 and GBA-900 hybrid connected watches in a striking red color.

G-Shock Burning Red GBD-200RD (left) and GBA-900RD (right). Image used with permission by copyright holder

Read more