First, consider how much of your skull it actually covers. If the motorcycle helmets, cover just the back of the the skull and go no further, then there is the base of the skull is left vulnerable. If the back of the neck gets severely injured, not including death, you could be paralyzed and then you wouldn't have use for a motorcycle any longer. If motorcycle helmets cover all the way to the base of the skull you have a greater chance of obtaining less injury and you are less likely to die from an accident. Shorties or half helmets cover the minimum amount of skull as the law allows. While these helmets have a better coverage then no coverage at all, they do not have the maximum coverage.



Next, consider the comfort of the helmet. While safety is more important then comfort generally, if motorcycle helmets are not comfortable, chances are the driver or passenger will not keep the motorcycle helmets on, this can cause safety hazards. While the full face helmet offers greater coverage of the skull, it can also be uncomfortable, especially in heat and hot climates. It is hard to see if sweat drips in your eyes. It can also be hard to see with a full face helmet simply because of how much area covers the face. With comfort as an issue, the full face motorcycle helmets may not score as high. This means that the half helmet, or shorty would score higher for comfort, but not for safety and security.

Then, consider the visibility of motorcycle helmets. The brighter and whiter the helmet is, the more likely the driver of another vehicle or another motorcycle is likely to see you. While many people think that black motorcycle helmets look cool, they are much harder to see in all light then white motorcycle helmets, or even bright motorcycle helmets. Neon green motorcycle helmets will get a motorists attention before black helmets do. And white helmets may be a better match in heavily traveled areas. Unless they are areas specifically designed for motorcycle travel.

Finally, consider what the helmet is constructed from. The more reinforcements in motorcycle helmets, the safer it is. If you take a plain plastic helmet and put it up against a Kevlar reinforced helmet, chances are the plain plastic helmet will wear out or be destroyed long before the Kevlar reinforced motorcycle helmets are. Not only does the construction of motorcycle helmets come into play during an accident, consider whether you have dropped it, or thrown it, your motorcycle helmets integrity may be compromised. If this is the case, then the simple solution is to buy a new motorcycle helmet.