HIPER — a public cycle helmet rating

Most cyclist head injuries come from oblique impacts that produce large rotational motion as well as the typical linear motion. Mandatory certification tests focus on linear impacts against flat anvils. The gap between certification and reality is wide enough that two helmets that both “pass” can differ substantially in real-world protection.

HIPER tests the most popular helmets used by UK cyclists on a floor-to-ceiling drop test rig under oblique impacts representative of real-world crashes. Each helmet receives a rating based on how much it reduces skull fracture and traumatic brain injury risks. The recorded kinematics feed the Imperial College FE brain model to later estimate tissue-level strain and inform the future design of safer products.

HIPER ratings are published open to the public at hiperhelmets.org. The Road Safety Trust has provided further funding under their large grants scheme to extend HIPER to children’s helmets.