New helmet type approval: Midland intercoms are designed to comply with ECE 22-06 regulation

12 April 2022
NEW HELMET TYPE APPROVAL

The new European regulation for helmets came into force on 1 January 2021. The ECE 22-05, introduced 18 years ago, will gradually give way to ECE 22-06.

The evolution of the motorcycle helmet, from a production point of view, has led to a necessary evolution and the introduction of a regulation that certifies, through new tests, the safety and quality of the device that has the task of protecting your head when travelling by motorcycle or scooter. Midland, together with the other intercom manufacturers, has been working for over two years at drafting the 22-06, with regard to the technical requirements relative to helmet accessories. This gave the brand the possibility to steer the design in compliance with full compatibility with future legal requirements.

F.A.Q.

Soon I will necessarily have to change my helmet approved with the 22-05 regulation. And the intercom too? No. You can continue to use your 22-05 helmet and your intercom for years.

I see that the shops sell a lot of 22-05 approved helmets. Are goods expiring? Absolutely not. Helmet manufacturers will even be able to develop new models approved according to 22-05 until July 2022 and put them on sale. At the beginning of 2024, the various states of the European Union will decide how to behave with regard to the sale of 22-05 approved helmets (as they are produced until 2022). From what has been indicated, it is clear that helmets belonging to the old and new approvals will be able to live together “on the road” for a few more years.

Is it allowed to mount an intercom on the shell of a helmet that follows the 22-06 regulation? It is only allowed for approved models. Midland accessories are designed to be compliant and approved to 22-06.

However, the question deserves further investigation.

HELMETS WITH 22-06 APPROVAL – version 01. (2021): This version does not include approval for universal intercoms. However, their presence on the helmet is not punishable as, at the moment, the law is waiting to be implemented by national laws.

HELMETS WITH 22-06 APPROVAL – version 02. (Expected by 2022): It provides for the technical requirements for the approval of universal intercoms; the Midland range has been designed to be compliant and approved according to 22-06 (version .02). They can be approved together with the helmet (in this case we are talking about specific accessories), or they can be approved separately, because they are compatible with different types of helmet (in this case we are talking about universal accessories).