Riding helmets: understanding safety standards
When it comes to riding helmets, the conversation often turns to safety and standards. It is one of the main, and entirely legitimate, concerns of every buyer: a rider's safety depends to a large extent on their helmet. Since 2014, standards have evolved and become stricter to give you ever greater protection and to reflect real-world conditions.
Safety, protection and innovation are at the heart of how we design our riding helmets, and part of the DNA we inherited from motorcycling. Knowing which standards apply, understanding their requirements, knowing how and why the tests are carried out: it is hard to make sense of it all, so we explain everything.
What is a standard for and how is it written?
A standard defines a minimum level of performance a product must reach to ensure the safety of its user. For riding helmets, it sets precise thresholds that must not be exceeded during an impact, and measures the strength and stability of the chin strap as well as resistance to penetration and crushing.
A standard is never written by a single party. It is the result of collective work by European technical committees (working groups) and national bodies (AFNOR in France), bringing together manufacturers, independent testing laboratories, sports federations, doctors and sometimes researchers. These experts compare accident data, scientific advances and feedback from the field to decide which tests to carry out, with which equipment, and which thresholds offer sufficient protection. The final text is then approved, published, harmonised and periodically revised to reflect new developments.
At NACA, we make motorcycle, cycling, riding and ski helmets. Standards are part of our daily work, and we follow their development closely.
The history of the EN 1384 standard
EN 1384 is the long-standing European reference standard for riding helmets. Deemed inadequate, it was withdrawn in 2014. The regulatory gap was then filled by a transitional document, VG1: a provisional draft that was never officially approved as a standard in its own right and is now completely obsolete.
In 2017, a new version, EN 1384:2017, was published. However, it was never harmonised, meaning it was never officially recognised at European level as proof of compliance with the PPE Regulation.
It was not until 2023 that the standard was republished and approved in its final form: EN 1384:2023, which is now the European reference standard for riding helmets.
Certification tests
Certification tests are carried out in accredited laboratories authorised to issue certification.
Preparing the helmets
Before any impact testing, each helmet is "conditioned". Tests are carried out under different conditions to check that protection remains the same in a heatwave, on a winter morning or after several years of use. Three batches of samples are conditioned for 4 hours before testing:
- one batch exposed to cold (-20 °C);
- one batch exposed to heat (+50 °C);
- one batch artificially aged, exposed to UV and humidity to simulate the effect of sun and rain over several years of use.
The tests carried out
- Shock absorption: the helmet, placed on a headform fitted with sensors, is dropped onto an anvil (flat or kerbstone-shaped) at a precise impact speed of 5.94 m/s, equivalent to a fall of about 1.80 m for the flat anvil. The sensor measures the deceleration experienced by the head: the lower it is, the better the helmet has absorbed the energy of the impact. The limit must not exceed 250 g.
- Lateral rigidity: this test checks that the shell withstands lateral pressure without excessive deformation. It simulates crushing, in a fall with sliding or an impact against a fixed obstacle.
- Strength and stability of the retention system (the chin strap): a weight is dropped onto the fastened chin strap to make sure it does not give way. Another test checks that the helmet stays in place at the moment of impact. A helmet that comes off or tips forwards or backwards no longer protects.
- Penetration resistance: a pointed striker is dropped onto the shell to check that it does not pierce the structure and reach the rider's head.
Each test must be passed under all three conditions (cold, heat, artificial ageing) for the helmet to be certified. It is this requirement for consistency, whatever the conditions, that sets a serious standard apart from simple factory quality control.
EN 1384:2023 has become considerably stricter since 2014: impact tests are more severe, penetration tests have been reinforced, and the lateral rigidity test has increased from a force of 630 to 800 newtons. As a manufacturer, these changes push us to constantly rethink our materials and processes to offer ever higher protection.
Certificate and manufacturer responsibility: ongoing production control
Once these tests have been passed, the notified body issues the manufacturer with an EU type-examination certificate, valid for a maximum of 5 years, which must then be renewed to keep selling the model. It authorises the use of the CE marking, which confirms the product complies with European regulations.
Between renewals, responsibility for checking that production complies lies with the manufacturer itself. This is where NACA's 100% French manufacturing really matters: because we make our helmets in our workshop in Signes, in the Var region of France, we control our entire production chain and carry out our internal checks on site.
Sample collection, regular verification tests: every step is carried out in-house, by our own teams, to make sure the helmets leaving the workshop always offer the same level of protection as the one approved at initial certification. It is this complete control, from the first prototype to the last helmet produced, that guarantees consistent quality.
What about the United States?
In the United States, there is no equivalent to the European PPE Regulation that would make a standard mandatory at federal level. Private organisations such as ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) write voluntary standards, under which each manufacturer can in theory self-certify.
The SEI label
For horse riding, however, the federation requires helmets to carry the SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) label. This quality label goes beyond simple product testing: it requires the manufacturer to have a quality manual and documented procedures, ensuring that its entire organisation, and not just the helmet tested in the lab, meets strict and consistent requirements. Initial tests must be carried out by an SEI-approved laboratory, and each model must be recertified every year. The SEI label is therefore a genuine guarantee of rigour and production compliance.
ASTM F1163-23 and EN 1384:2023: what are the differences?
The current US reference standard is ASTM F1163-23, considered comparable in rigour to EN 1384:2023. The two standards share a similar philosophy, with a few differences:
- Conditioning: cold and heat in both cases, but water immersion in the US instead of European artificial ageing, plus a room-temperature test not included in the European standard.
- Impacts: 4 areas tested in the US versus 3 in Europe, but with a higher tolerance threshold (300 g instead of 250 g).
- Penetration and retention: comparable checks. The difference lies mainly in the test protocol and the testing equipment.
The COMETE, dual certified
At NACA, we chose to have our COMETE helmet certified to both standards: EN 1384:2023 and ASTM F1163-23 with the SEI label. This dual certification, verified by two independent laboratories under two separate regulatory frameworks, allows us to sell our helmets worldwide.
It also meets the requirements of the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale), which for international competitions requires a helmet that complies with one of the recognised standards and carries a quality label. A double guarantee, attesting both to the product's performance and to the rigour of its manufacturing and production control.
What about PAS015, the British standard?
PAS015:2011 (Publicly Available Specification 015) is a British standard for riding helmets, published by the BSI (British Standards Institution). It was created as a British alternative, the United Kingdom having long had its own standards tradition, well before Brexit.
PAS015 is not recognised by the European Commission as equivalent to EN 1384 and therefore cannot replace it for placing products on the market in the European Union. It was officially withdrawn on 3 January 2025.
The NACA expertise that makes the difference
Understanding these standards is one thing. Mastering them day to day, in the design and manufacture of every helmet, is another. For more than 12 years, we have been designing and manufacturing protective helmets for many sports and for motorcycling: a dual culture that lets us combine the requirements and know-how of different areas of head protection.
This expertise is not confined to a design office. It lives in our workshop in Signes, where our prototypes are developed and all our helmets are made. This closeness between design and production lets us adjust, test and improve continuously. Every change in standards, such as EN 1384:2023, is built directly into our manufacturing and certification process. Making helmets ourselves means answering for every helmet that leaves the workshop.
This approach continues after the sale: after-sales service for our helmets is handled directly in the workshop where they were made. The craftspeople who examine a damaged helmet or answer your questions are the ones who know, part by part, the helmet you wear. From standard to prototype, from prototype to production, from production to after-sales service: it is this complete control that makes NACA a manufacturer that knows standards from the inside.
To find out more, read our advice on choosing, fitting and wearing your riding helmet and why you need to replace your helmet after a fall.
Useful links
Frequently asked questions
Are NACA helmets approved for cross-country?
There is no standard or regulation specific to cross-country: the rules simply require a certified helmet, whatever the discipline. All our certified helmets can therefore, from a regulatory point of view, be worn for cross-country.
Beyond the regulatory requirement, common sense means choosing a helmet suited to the activity. On a cross-country course, for example, you should avoid a long peak, which could restrict visibility just when it matters most. For this discipline, we recommend wearing our helmets without a peak or with a short peak.
See the FFE eventing rules and the FEI eventing rules.
Are NACA helmets approved for flat and jump racing?
The French Code des courses au galop requires jockeys to wear CE-marked helmets that refer to the EN 1384:2023 standard. The GRAVITY TR, COMETE XP and COMETE S models meet this requirement, so you can wear them when racing. Reference: Bulletin officiel des courses au galop no. 3 ter of 2 March 2023.
Can you wear a NACA helmet for Pony Mounted Games?
At international level, the 2026 rules of the IMGA (International Mounted Games Association) only allow "jockey" style helmets, round or regularly elliptical in shape, with a smooth or slightly abrasive surface, and without a peak or any peak-like extension. Only smooth, rounded peaks no longer than 5 mm are tolerated. This safety requirement is directly linked to the risk of contact and falls specific to this fast-paced discipline.
Our GRAVITY and COMETE models worn without a peak are therefore perfectly suited to this discipline.