William "Pete" Snell died in 1956 from head injuries sustained in a car crash which led to the founding of the non-profit Snell Memorial Foundation in 1957 with a goal to set helmet safety standards higher than those adopted by the Department of Transportation (DOT) with updates occurring every five years. The latest M2020D standard (D stands for DOT) retains the previous M2015 standard which allows a peak acceleration of 275g and uses five different anvil shapes. However, the number of tests and actual testing is much more rigorous than DOT tests. New to the equation is M2020R (R stands for Regulation 22) and represents markets or countries outside the United States, more specifically Europe and the ECE safety standards employed there.
Helmet manufacturers voluntarily submit their helmets for Snell testing and the foundation randomly buys Snell approved helmets and re-tests them for compliance. In the past Snell has questioned the validity of DOT's criteria on gravity constant measures while other outlets have criticized Snell standards as too excessive. If you have questions on buying a Snell approved motorcycle helmet give one of our gearheads a call at 888-676-8853 and we'll help guide you through the helmet buying process or read What Is a Snell Helmet. For more information on choosing the best motorcycle helmet and how to size read Picking the Best Motorcycle Helmet.
