CPSC Seeks Comments on Testing Exemption for Inflatable Protective Head Devices

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is seeking public comment on a petition to exempt “inflatable head protective devices for bicyclists” from safety standard testing requirements, it said in a notice. The petition, submitted by Hovding Sweden AB, asks whether testing for CPSC's Safety Standard for Bicycle Helmets is necessary when the product "complies with, and is certified to, requirements in a standard developed by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden." The product "is worn around the cyclist's neck, like a collar" and in a crash will inflate "to cover the rider's head for a few seconds and then deflates." CPSC would like input on whether such inflatable devices provide a level of protection similar to that of helmets and "what existing standards or other performance requirements could be used to evaluate the reliability and integrity of the deployment systems in inflatable helmets, such as sensors and batteries."