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Currently, no high impact helmet standards exist for children. To meet the rising demand for these helmets in the youth market, manufacturers have basically downsized adult helmets. Children's heads and necks are very different than are adult's. Therefore, youth helmets do not provide the same level of protection as do adult helmets. We determined head mass and circumference in 128 childhood athletes aged 7 to 17, as well as made 95 separate anthropometric measurements from skull x-rays of children aged 6 to 17. We defined two distinct age groups. Group A, ages 6 to 11, and Group B ages 12 to 17. Comparing these measurements to adult measurements, and using previously reported anatomical differences we were able to show that the heads and necks of children are much different than are adults in mass, circumference and the ratio of head length to neck length. And, that these differences point out real and potential issues with youth helmets.

Head trauma continues to be the most frequent cause of life threatening injury to racing drivers and protecting the driver's head is of prime importance. A head protection system must ensure that any loads or accelerations imparted to the head do not exceed those which may cause injury. The FIA commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in the UK to develop an advanced protective helmet and to propose an improved standard to which Formula-One protective helmets must comply. Throughout the project, TRL worked closely with the FIA Research Group, Carbon Fibre Technologies-UK, Bell Sports Europe and Snell-USA. During a preliminary phase, the performance of current motorsport helmets was evaluated with regard to both laboratory test and simulated accident conditions. Based on this work, provisional performance criteria were agreed for the improved helmet design.