Survey of head, helmet and headform sizes related to motorcycle helmet design.

A test rig was built to measure rapidly and store on computer files the size and shape of human heads. The dimensions measured are specifically related to the areas protected by motor-cyclists' safety helmets. A survey of over 500 motor-cyclists and young adults was carried out, from which a statistical analysis of single size parameters, and of the correlation between pairs of parameters, was performed. These data were compared with the sizes and shapes of helmets available on the UK market. It was concluded that the current range of sizes is far from ideal, and suggestions for a better range of sizes are made.