ECE R22.06 Safety Requirements for Motorcycle and Moped Helmets (and Visors)

The ECE R22.06 Safety requirements for motorcycle and moped helmets (and visors), published by the European Economic Commission, is a United Nations regulation defining safety requirements for motorcycle and moped helmets (and visors). Today, helmets sold in Europe and other countries that have adopted the ECE standard must meet the ECE R22.06 requirements to be approved for use on public roads.

UN Regulation No. 22 contains uniform provisions regarding the approval of protective helmets and visors for drivers and passengers of two-wheeled vehicles.

In the high-risk world of motorcycling, a helmet is the ultimate protector. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has established a global standard for protective helmets that has been in effect for years. However, as riding conditions change (such as faster motorcycles, heavier traffic, and more urban accidents), older standards need updating. The latest update to the ECE R22.06 regulation, published in 2021, not only changed the rules but also introduced new regulations for helmet safety. This regulation, which is now fully mandatory for new designs, forces manufacturers to offer helmets that better simulate real-world accidents and save more riders from concussions, fractures, and worse.

The first version of the ECE R22 regulation, ECE 22.02, mandated basic protection such as impact absorption and safety straps. The ECE 22.05 version remained in effect for over two decades, requiring helmets to undergo impact, penetration, and structural tests. However, by the 2010s, data from crash studies painted a clearer picture: real accidents are not regular laboratory simulations. Drivers roll over at varying speeds, collide at oblique angles, and are subjected to rotational forces that twist the brain like a rag. ECE R22.05, which applied single-speed impacts to only six helmet points, has become an outdated standard. The gradually introduced ECE R22.06 has now become the sole option for new approvals. ECE R22.06 is valid wherever UN standards apply. It is not just a European standard; it is considered worldwide for improved protection.

ECE R22.06 essentially increases realism. There are no more uniform tests; instead, scenarios that reflect the unpredictability of road collisions are introduced. The major changes are as follows:

• Extended impact testing: more points, higher speeds, wider angles.
• The old method ECE R22.05: Helmets are dropped from a fixed height (at a speed of approximately 5,4 m/s) onto flat or paved anvils at six points (top, front, sides and back).
• The new ECE R22.06 method: The entire helmet now has 18 impact zones and is tested at three speeds: low (below 6 m/s for falls), medium (6-7,5 m/s), and high (7,5-8,5 m/s for severe collisions). The anvils are angled at 45 degrees to simulate not only frontal collisions but also side impacts.

This covers everything from low-speed city skidding (where 70 percent of accidents occur) to highway horrors, preventing even minor impacts from causing bodily harm.

• Rotational impact assessment: combating concussion. A new test measures how impacts rotate the head, using a magnesium oxide head mold to gauge brain strain. This isn't just about stopping the initial impact, but about minimizing the impact that causes traumatic brain injuries, which account for up to 50 percent of motorcycle fatalities.

ECE R22.05 has often been criticized for neglecting rotation. ECE R22.06 addresses this issue by leveraging studies showing that rotational forces can double the risk of injury.

• No penetration testing, but smarter overall protection. The old nail-drop penetration test (dropping a 3 kg cone from 1,8 meters) is no longer valid and has drawn criticism from those who say it tests irrelevant scenarios like fence post studs. Instead, ECE R22.06 relies on thicker, more robust shells and multi-layered liners that better absorb energy through impacts. Helmets now have to prove abrasion resistance, visor integrity, and even label adhesion.
• Accessory and design review. Chin bars, sun visors, and fasteners undergo rigorous checks for robustness. Add-ons such as intercoms or cameras must be tested as part of the helmet package. It's essential to ensure nothing compromises the structure. The field of vision is also improved: providing wider angles to reduce blind spots. Helmets that pass ECE R22.06 absorb more energy, flex less destructively, and last longer, meaning fewer emergency room visits.

Under ECE R22.06, helmets must now meet the following more stringent requirements:

• Extended impact testing: Instead of testing just a few fixed impact points, helmets are now subjected to many more impact points, including random points on the body. Impact tests simulate both low-speed slides and high-speed collisions, covering a wider range of speeds and energies.
• Inclined/rotational impact tests: Previous tests focused on vertical impacts; a helmet can absorb vertical energy, but oblique or angled impacts (common in real accidents) can transmit dangerous rotational forces to the brain. ECE R22.06 introduces rotational acceleration testing to assess a helmet's ability to protect against such torsional forces.
• Modular/fold-out helmet and accessory testing: For helmets with a fold-out chin bar (modular helmets) or helmets with a visor, internal visor, sun visor, or integrated communication device, ECE R22.06 now requires testing of these configurations. This ensures that additional components or helmet styles do not compromise protection.
• Tighter retention system and shell integrity requirements: The safety of chin straps, fasteners, and overall structural integrity (shell and liner) is subjected to more rigorous testing, including under varying impact conditions, to ensure helmets stay on the head and function properly during a collision.
• Updated labeling and certification rules: Helmets must bear clear certification labels indicating “ECE 22.06” and homologation codes.

For many years, our organization, with its competent and experienced staff, has been understanding the needs of its clients, providing the advanced testing services they require, and assisting them in the establishment, implementation, and improvement of management systems. Within this framework, we also provide testing services to businesses in accordance with the "ECE R22.06 Safety requirements for motorcycle and moped helmets (and visors)" standard.