As some of you know, I rolled my car on the top end in 2008.

I was just talking about my helmet and getting back on the track (finally) and some motorcycle guy at work jumps in and says "please do not tell me you plan to wear that same helmet again. I have been in so many crashes and whacked my head... you can't wear the same helmet."

I'm not racing a motorcycle or quad - I'm in a car. When I rolled, I was belted in so tight that the only part of my body that moved was my arms. My helmet did not make contact with anything - not the cage, nothing.

If you were me, would you replace your helmet? It's a Snell2005 Simpson Full Face helmet and I had probably only worn it a handful of times when the rollover happened.

Insight, please.

 

If safety equipment is involved in any accident it should be replaced.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Would you replace your fire suit, gloves, neck collar, belts, cage, etc.?

Just a question - I'm not trying to be cocky...

The way I look at it, my helmet takes more abuse when I tap it on the cage trying to get on my head for every pass than it did when I rolled the car. It doesn't have a mark on it because it didn't touch a thing in the rollover.

I just thought this would be an interesting topic - I'm not trying to start a war with someone who would replace their helmet. A guy at work (motorcycle/quad guy) is telling me I'm stupid if I wear the same helmet.

 

Well I will put it this way... the helmet protects your head from impacts. It was involved in a crash.

I didn't specify I am also speaking as a motorcycle rider. When we go down it almost always involves skidding across hard surfaces. Other times like on my dirt bike I was involved in an accident where I was thrown off but my helmet did not have any signs of damage. Later when I spoke about it the guy pointed out a deep gouge next to the vent I didn't even notice... Needless to say I replace it. The helmet may or may not be okay. even if there aren't any marks or visible damage you never know.

What is your head worth to you?

 

I also am a motorcycle rider and I feel that if your helmet didn't contact anything during your wreck it wasn't ''in a crash''. For the helmet to be ''in a crash'' it needs to have hit something, anything. The materials in there compress to save your head during an inpact and they never recover from that compression.
If there's any possibility that it hit anything during the roll then toss it.
If it didn't get hit then why waste money?

 

If you're absolutely sure that the helmet wasn't involved in any impacts, then you're fine. If there's any question at all, better safe than sorry.

Helmets are a one-time-use safety device. Once it's done it's job in an impact, it's garbage.

 

The only thing my helmet could have possibly hit is the seat behind my head - but it hits that every time I launch off the starting line as well. I am too short for it to have hit the cage and I am strapped in too tight to travel that far in my seat. I am not lying when I say I am a freak about tightening my belts - Thank God!

There was no impact when I rolled the car. It drifted right, then hard left (lesson learned), and over it went... It tapped the roof on the passenger side, then the drivers side roof, then landed back on all four wheels and slid to a stop.

 

I think it'll be fine as long as it didn't hit anything during the crash. Is there anyone who can look at it for you?

 

No, I wouldn't replace it. If you feel paranoid any good bike shop should be able to take a look at it. But if it didn't hit anything, then no worries. Even if it did, for a car helmet I probably wouldn't sweat it unless it had something visibly wrong, like a crack.