How Lawrence Of Arabia Transformed The Safety Of Professional Drivers

The safety helmet is a vital piece of trade workwear for many different industries, with different variations evolving to meet the needs of a range of industries.

After all, the protective requirements for a hard hat are different from those needed on a welding helmet, and these requirements are different from a chainsaw safety helmet or a helmet used by professional drivers.

Full-face driving helmets, also known as racing helmets or motorcycle helmets are designed not only to help protect against impacts at high speed but also to be smooth enough to avoid direct hits from projectiles and glance impacts away from the skull.

The first crash helmets of any kind were designed by Dr Eric Gardner in 1914 after noticing the number of injuries to riders at the Brooklands race circuit, the first purpose-built track for motor racing.

After they were made compulsory for the Isle of Man TT races that year, the helmet was reported to have saved at least one rider who hit a gate and no concussion cases were noted at the race that year despite the TT races having a reputation for causing serious injury.

However, the biggest leap forward for road safety helmets came due to the death of a notable writer and military adviser who was the subject of one of the most critically acclaimed films in history.

Colonel T.E. Lawrence was the military advisor to rebelling forces against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War and the Arab Revolt and was vividly described in his book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

Throughout his life, but particularly after the war and as he was winding down his military service, Colonel Lawrence was an avid motorcyclist, owning eight custom Brough Superior bikes during his life.

However, on the 13th May 1935, two months after being formally discharged from military service, he was riding his SS100 motorcycle on a road in Dorset when he spotted two boys on their bikes just after he had traversed a dip in the road.

He dodged out of the way of them but lost control of his bike, being thrown over the handlebars and suffering a head injury that turned out to be fatal.

Neurosurgeon Hugh Cairns, one of the doctors on hand to take care of him during his stay in the hospital, would study the effects of his head injury alongside many other military despatch riders, advocating for the use of crash helmets that could help mitigate and reduce the damage caused by accidents.

Six years later, the British Army would mandate the use of crash helmets for despatch riders, although it would take until 1967 for this to be the case for civilian riders.

Over the years, the design for safety driving helmets would change considerably as well. Full-face helmets would initially be developed in the 1950s and would become a requirement in a growing number of industries, fireproofing would be improved and systems such as the head and neck support (HANS) device would protect the driver from other potential injuries.