SHARP helmet rating scheme wins two awards
The safety helmet assessment and rating programme has won two prestigious road safety awards.
An innovative scheme designed to help reduce the number of motorcycle deaths has scooped 2 prestigious awards recognising safety, Transport Minister Robert Goodwill has announced.
The government’s safety helmet assessment and rating programme, known as SHARP, has been given a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award and the International Motorcycling Federation’s annual Road Safety Award.
Transport Minister Robert Goodwill said:
We estimate that 50 deaths could be prevented each year if all riders wore the safest helmets available. That is why I am delighted that SHARP is being recognised for its work of offering objective advice to motorcyclists over the past 6 years.
I hope these awards will help to highlight the valuable work SHARP does by making sure that motorcyclists have access to the best safety information so we can improve safety for motorcyclists and reduce the number of tragedies we see on the roads each year.
The SHARP programme was presented with the Prince Michael award in recognition of its outstanding contribution to improving road safety at this year’s Motorcycle Live Show at Birmingham’s NEC on 23 November. Later in the week it will receive the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (International Motorcycling Federation) annual Road Safety Award recognising achievements in helping motorcyclists.
Chairman of the Prince Michael judging panel, Tony Spalding, said:
When recommending the award to His Royal Highness, the judges highlighted the importance of independent assessment of the effectiveness of safety critical products and the need to make this knowledge available to bikers. SHARP does all this and has been a real success.
SHARP gives objective advice, including guidance on how to select a good fitting helmet, to help riders to choose the safest helmet suitable for them.
Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable of road users accounting for around 1% of British traffic but 19% of deaths or serious injuries. All helmets must meet minimum legal safety standards but the SHARP scheme uses a wider range of tests to provide riders with more information on how much protection a helmet can provide in a crash.
The SHARP tests award ratings of between 1 and 5 stars and show that the safety performance of helmets can vary by as much as 70%. Helmets across a wide price range score highly so all riders can find a high performing helmet in a size and style that fits them and at a price they want to pay.
Details of helmets that have been rated to date and further information about the helmets can be accessed via the SHARP website. SHARP is the only safety rating system of its kind and was launched by the Department for Transport in 2007 after research revealed real differences in the safety performance of motorcycle helmets available in the UK.
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