Uncovered - Dangerous Secrets of the DOT Helmet Standard

Your DOT motorcycle helmet is not as safe as you think. "Outdated" doesn't even begin to describe this conspiracy. Last time FMVSS218 saw a major update, only two countries had internet and NASA coined an obscure new term called "global warming." Yikes.

Look up test reports for your own helmet:

Read more about this issue:

The Snell, ECE and DOT Official Criteria:

Cinematographer & Editor: Aneesh Shivanekar

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[mojo]

"I've been testing helmets long before anyone paid me to do it..."

Dude I lost it so hard. That was phenomenal.

[tylerallison]

I used this as a resource on a research paper based around tech requirements and updated rules. Teacher pulled me aside and told me thank you. Her son was buying a bike and gear and was looking at a helmet with dot certification but no ece or snell

[powerdriftofficial]

So very well done and mighty interesting content. Back here, we just dodged the bullet of the legal system unwilling in adopting international standards and mandating the good ol’ ISI
Glad to know we watch each others content - Automotive YouTubers Represent!

[amihere]

I wish there were more people in the world who put as much time, energy and effort into what they do as you. It must have taken weeks if not months of research and studying to dig up all this dirt on them

[thomaslohr]

The cinematography is oustanding 😱 Also great story telling! 💪

[AUTOTKHCL]

I actually had no idea... I fell into the "Its D.O.T so we're good to go 👍" crowd

[OneShotKiller]

Ths channel is so underrated. You are saving lives by telling everyone that DOT helmets aren't as safe as they think
You guys clearly worked really hard on this one Great job 👏👏

[xBanana]

The ammount of work and effort you put in these videos is truly outstading. Especially when the result comes out like this. Great job!

[seanseoltoir]

As someone who has a hat size of around 8-3/4 to 8-5/8, I would have to say that finding ANY helmet that will fit is challenging enough, regardless of certification standards. Even the ones that are Snell rated seem to only be Snell rated in the smaller sizes. Regardless, I've had some pretty good accidents over the years that resulted in broken bones and internal injuries that did not result in any head injuries despite landing face first in at least one of them. I figure that even a crappy full face helmet is better than NO helmet... Been riding for over 50 years and haven't had an accident in around 40...

[ashergraven]

God damn this production quality is fantastic. Great video!

[mschen]

This is one of the most well done YouTube videos I’ve ever seen. Outstanding work; great cinematography, great lighting, great acting, great information. Truly a masterpiece that I hope you are proud of.

[jazztom]

isn't it ridiculous that they force you to wear a helmet but they don't actually care if the helmet is worth anything?

[bricksonm]

The second I saw “D.O.T. Approved” on one of those half helmets when I was a kid, I quit trusting them. D.O.T. Approval means nothing to me. I look for Snell and E.C.E.

My Bell Star DLX MIPS took a nasty hit in my accident last summer when I was hit. But I made it out with not even so much as a headache. So I bought the same helmet again. I’ve tested it, and it worked great!

[olivialambert]

I always knew the DOT standard was bad, but I didn't realise just how incredibly bad, and just how frankly negligent they have been. Personally I go with the SHARP testing, they seem to really be on the ball. A very recent standard which scores from fail up to 5 stars developed by some of the most influential doctors of this topic using real world data from hospitals and large scale studies. Also with trust issues such as refusing to take helmets from the manufacturers and instead buy from random stores in random locations. It seems to have everything I want from a testing standard.

[Hopeless_and_Forlorn]

I stand in amazement of the depth and quality of the research you put into this video. You deserve recognition from all motorcyclists. That said, I wish to make it clear that any helmet is better than no helmet, and even an unrated helmet might make the difference between serious head injury and no injury at all. The event that brought motorcycle helmets into existence was the 1935 death of T.E. Lawrence after he crashed his Brough motorcycle at low speed. The fact that he lingered for days before succumbing to his injury suggests that even the cheapest of the modern helmets now available could have saved his life. More recently, I heard many horror stories about the fragility of helmets of Chinese origin. Happily, a neighbor brought me an off-brand helmet that somebody had discarded, cheaply made and obviously inferior, and asked me if it was good for anything. After I assured her that it was not, she agreed to let me attack it to demonstrate its flimsy construction. I put the helmet on the ground, took a two-pound, steel hammer and blasted away with full swings. I was unable to break the shell. The lesson I learned there was, listen to the experts such as FortNine, buy the best helmet you can afford, but ANY helmet is better than no helmet, and may save your life--if you wear it.

[classicsalted]

Thank you ryan for exposing this. Amazing production. Very entertaining to watch. And the icing on the cake: 4:50 powerdrift!

[motozest]

Researching for my latest video I realized that DOT doesn't compare well to ECE22.05, SNELL and SHARP, but I never called it like it is, like you did: dangerous! Great video, guys.

[maslaxali]

Great cinematography, and content. The quality of this channel is unparalleled.

[alecalbain]

I love the fact that you're trying to expose this certification!!! It needs to be changed, me, and the rest of the biking community thanks you bro! glad to see normal people care about other peoples safety, have a great day man

[storiesofthesick]

Ok. Despite all those reviews and "best some equipment for something" videos that is really outstanding! These 'informative' kind of videos are important as well. But, as a art director I must say. Damn FortNine! You guys are really raising some bars with technical information alongside with awesome video production!! Congratulations on this effort to make such important content with incredible looks! Best regards from Brazil!