Motorcycle rider protection and stuff
I agree on the aspect of the full face from a racing standpoint.
Personally I would not wear one "on the street" as they tend to limit peripheral vision. Just my experience.
They also keep the helmet from rotating away from the impact, exposing your face and head. Even the "good" open face helmets move away from the impact, although not as much as the "bad" ones. And then of course there's the small matter of your jaw and all of your teeth.
All of the newer full face helmets, and by that I mean pretty much all of them designed in the last 10 years or so, provide for a very good field of vision. The good open face helmets come just as far forward on the sides as the full face helmets do, the only real loss of vision is straight down in front of you, which isn't where you need to look anyway. I know I always seem to have much better vision than all of the cars around me...:banghead:
I work as a firefighter/paramedic, and unfortunately have seen plenty of motorcycle accidents and fatalities. I would
never wear anything other than a full face helmet. I've seen exactly what other types of helmets won't do for you in an accident. Including several fatalities of rider's that were wearing DOT approved helmets, only to have them slide backwards and provide no protection. It's not fun trying to maintain an airway on a person that has broken their jaw, teeth, cheekbones, and lower portions of their skull.
I can tell horror stories about open face helmets all day, but ultimately its your decision. I know I've made mine.
