Innovative VOZZ Helmet here and we talk to CEO Mark Bryant.
People tend to resist change. We all get comfortable with what we know and even though there may be problems with “what we’ve always done”, we still tend to do it anyway.
Since day dot the only way we’ve known to secure a helmet on our head is with a chin strap. But that very device has caused countless issues over the years – from broken necks when the helmet gets snagged in a crash, to choking and even decapitation.
So the smart guys at VOZZ Helmets came up with a better idea – let’s get rid of the chinstrap!
There’s been plenty of media coverage in recent days about the new VOZZ Helmet, and you’d have to have been hiding somewhere to not know something about it.
And there’s good reason for the interest. This is an innovative product and we’re about to see a paradigm shift in the helmet market.
It’s an Australian designed helmet and the result of ten years’ research and development. Rather than secure the helmet with that problematic strap, the helmet has a hinged design that closes and locks around the head.
I was talking to Mark Bryant, CEO of VOZZ Helmet, this week and his passion for this new helmet is clear.
He tells me that the lock itself is as strong as a car door lock, and the helmet was demonstrated at Sydney Motorsport Park over the weekend at up to 300km/h without issue.
Mark says that as well as eliminating the chinstrap it allows the helmet to be fitted over glasses (a big annoyance for some of us), it can be fitted and removed with gloves on and has many safety advantages.
And despite being told along the way that they’d “never be able to make the helmet”, and “never get it approved”, it’s launch is imminent with online sales opening tomorrow.
And it has AS/NZ (Australia / New Zealand), ECE (Europe) and DOT (USA) approval!
So they’ve proven the sceptics wrong already. But it’s the massive safety advantages of the VOZZ helmet that Mark really highlighted.
Apart from eliminating the risks associated with the chinstrap, the hinged design allows the helmet to be removed without risking any further damage to the rider’s neck. And the hinge can actually be undone and the two halves separated as well.
With such a radically different design there have been concerns that people responding to a crash may not know how to remove the helmet.
To address that concern, CEO Mark Bryant has told us that an instructional video on how to remove the helmet has already been produced and is being sent to all paramedics and rescue personnel, and ongoing training is also planned. There’s also a QR code that can be scanned by any other first responder to guide them through the process.
The company has been swamped with enquiries in recent days from around Australia and overseas, and are in the process of appointing dealers but the helmet can be purchased through the company’s online store at http://www.vozzhelmets.com
We will be meeting with Mark and the team in a couple of weeks and look forward to bringing you a full review and further information on the helmet.