Are Full-Face Motorcycle Helmets Safer?

The importance of safety while riding your motorcycle can’t be understated. Every year many numerous riders faced casualties for lack of protective headgears.

It’s true that what kind of headgear you choose while you ride on your motorcycle is up to you. However, your safety needs to be your top concern, right?

If it’s a matter of protection there is none better than a full-face helmet. Out of the major three types of helmets namely open-face, half-face, and modular helmets, the full-face helmets provide the best protection.

If that’s not convincing enough, you should follow us through the upcoming segments of this article. In doing so, you’ll have a better idea about the full-face helmet and what makes it safer than the rest.

Do You Need A Full-Face Motorcycle Helmet While Riding?

It’s a well-known fact among motorbike riders, that the full-face motorcycle helmet is the safest. This type of helmet covers your face and neck and provides the best protection available while riding.

Unlike open-face or modular helmets, it provides protection on your chin area, which is faced the most impact in an accident. A full-face helmet doesn’t just protect you from an accident it also protects you from environmental debris.

For example, while you’re on the road at high speed, a simple fly can hit your face or get into your eye and that will hurt. With full-face helmets, your face is completely covered and no bugs can harm you while riding.

Not only that, debris like rainwater, extreme wind, and specks of dirt also can’t do any harm with the full-face helmet on. You can find the best full-face motorcycle helmet under $200.

Benefits Of Using Full-Face Helmets

Needless to say, a full-face helmet is the best protective gear while you’re on the road with your motorcycle. However, you must be wondering what makes it safer compared to others, right?

Well, to answer that question, we’ve listed down the benefits of using the full-face helmet. It’ll help you have a better understanding of what it offers to you as a motorcycle rider.

Chin & Face Protection

The full-face helmet consists of a one-piece shell on your chin and head area, which protects you from any severe accident. It provides 3 times more protection than the other type of helmet. As the other types of helmets don’t provide the chin guard.

Our research shows in an accident your chin area is the primary impact zone with 34% of crashes involving it and a little over 10% involving the face shield. So whenever you’re in an accident you’ll sustain less damage while wearing the full-face helmet.  

Weatherproof

Besides protecting you from any severe accident the full-face helmet also protects you from harsh weather like the sun rays, extreme cold & wind, and rainwater. It’s all thanks to the visor.

The full-face helmet’s visor helps you withstand the harsh weather while you’re riding. Not only that it doesn’t let your vision get hindered in a high wind situation. So you have a safe and comfortable ride even in bad weather.

Blocks Bugs And Debris

If you’re new at motorcycle riding then you should know there is lots of stuff flying around the roads. They are such as dirt, bugs, stones, etc. These pieces of stuff hinder your riding experience. Furthermore, when you’re at high speed on the road, the smallest debris can hurt your face.

However, with a full-face helmet, your face is covered with a visor, which can easily withstand road debris. And at a high speed on the highway, this visor can be a lifesaver. Because not only does it protect your face but also helps you keep your focus on the road. 

Less Noisy

Just so you know, on the road with your motorcycle, mostly it tends to get noisy, and there’s little you can do about it. Also, these constant loud noises can do severe damage to your hearing. In extreme cases, you could suffer from deafness.

To block out the loud noises while you’re on the road, the full-face helmet comes in handy. Because it covers your whole head which leads to noise cancellation. Any helmet can muffle the loud noises on the road. However, in comparison, the full-face helmet does it more efficiently.

What Makes Full-Face Helmets Better Than Open-Face Helmets

It’s not that open-face helmets are bad, but they’re not meant for protection in extreme cases. Indeed their lightweight construction provides you with enough freedom, which leads to a better biking experience. 

However, this lightweight construction makes it vulnerable to heavy impact during accidents. Furthermore, with it, your face is completely exposed to roadside debris and harsh weather.

Whereas, with full-face helmets, you can protect your head from severe damage during an accident. Also, as your face is covered by the visor no roadside debris or harsh weather can harm your face.

How to Choose A Full-Face Helmet?

Choosing the right helmet for your head is crucial for motorcycle riding. Because an unfit helmet will be noisy, draughty, and most importantly it won’t do its job properly in an accident. Remember your helmet is the single most crucial safety equipment, it needs to fit right. So, while buying a full-face helmet you should consider the things given below. These considerations should put you in the right direction in choosing the perfect helmet for you.

  • If you’re buying a helmet for the first time, then you should take a proper measurement of your head. Then you can match the measurements with the referred sizing chart to find out the actual size.
  • You should know the sizes may vary between different brand manufacturers. Always compare the size with the taken measurement of your head, not the other way around.
  • After you find the right size, wear it on your head to see how it feels. If you feel suffocated or stuck then it’s not right for you. Then you should try different manufacturers’ helmets.
  • Sometimes even if you don’t feel right while wearing it, but feel sore or pressured after taking the helmet off your head. You can’t choose it either. Because it’ll be problematic in the long run.
  • Just so you know, the right fit helmet will fit your head perfectly without causing any pressure on your skull. Keep trying out different brands until you find the right fit. 

Drawbacks Of Full-Face Helmets

helmet

While it’s true that full-face helmets provide the best protection for you, it has its own set of drawbacks too. We’ve shared the negative sides of using full-face helmets down below so that you’ll have a better idea about what you’re getting yourself into.

  • Due to full-face coverage, you’ll find it harder to communicate with other riders. Because it muffles the surrounding sounds. So, you’ll have to open your helmet to communicate with others, which can be annoying.
  • With a full-face helmet, your head is in an isolated space. If you’re claustrophobic in a tight space then it could cause problems.
  • The full-face helmet limits your field of view, you’ll have to turn right or left to see what’s going on in your surroundings. And when you’re riding, that can be dangerous. 
  • As the full-face helmet is isolated, in warm weather it’ll get stuffy and steamy hot. And in a cold climate, your warm breath can fog up the visor. That hinders your preferable vision while riding.
  • With this type of helmet on, you don’t have direct access to your face, which can lead to terrible outcomes such as an itchy face/nose, or sneeze. And if you have long hair then the hair might get in the way.

Final Thoughts

Before you choose a helmet, you should ask yourself “what’s more important for you”, Is it safety & protection or comfort & exposure? If it’s safety and protection then you must go for full-face helmets. 

Because as we mentioned they provide the best protection for you compared to other types of helmets. So to enjoy a safe and protected motorcycle ride, you should wear a full-face helmet.

Good luck. Have a safe ride.