A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposal would shut down retailers selling novelty helmets that don't meet Department of Transportation standards for motorcycle safety, reports FairWarning. Cheap and plentiful, the helmets — also known as “loophole lids” or “brain buckets” – are imported from overseas and sold on the Internet. Retailers are able to legally sell them under the disclaimer that they are “not intended for highway use.”
"Federal officials have long been aware of the dangers of novelty helmets. In the Federal Register notice of the proposed rule, NHTSA cited a 2009 study of injured motorcyclists in Maryland. In the study, 56 percent of those wearing a novelty helmet had serious head injuries versus just 19 percent of riders wearing a DOT-certified helmet."
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