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What is EQRS or Emergency Quick Release System?
EQRS is a system designed to help remove a motorcycle helmet without damaging a rider’s neck and spine.
When a rider has an accident, at some stage it’s going to be necessary to remove their crash helmet. Whether that’s at the scene to assess head injuries or at the emergency room to get the rider comfortable and do further investigation into any injuries – they’re going to have to get that helmet off.
As we all know, that’s sometimes easier said than done; even when we’re fully fit and doing it ourselves there can be a fair bit of tugging and wrestling involved!
So, for emergency staff removing an unfamiliar helmet from someone else, possibly in an awkward position at a highly-charged accident scene – that can mean there’s masses of potential for causing further complications to neck and spine.
Which led some helmet makers to add something called EQRS or emergency quick removal system into their helmets – to help making removing helmets easier and putting less strain on the neck.
How does EQRS work?
Essentially, it’s a system to make pulling-out some of the pads inside the helmet easier – and to do it while the helmet’s still being worn. Usually, that means pulling the cheek pads out of the bottom of the helmet without removing the helmet first.
Removing the cheek pads means there’s more space available to carefully remove the helmet, minimising the need to move the head around too much and cause injuries.
You can see if a helmet has EQRS by looking at the bottom of the helmet. There’s usually a couple of red tabs at the bottom of the lining which can be grabbed to pull the cheek pads out of the helmet. There’s also usually small notices stickered on the outside of the helmet to notify emergency staff and paramedics, pointing out that EQRS is fitted.
Here’s a video from Shoei showing how EQRS works.
Which helmets have EQRS?
There’s an increasing number of helmets with EQRS – especially sportsbike and motocross helmets where injuries are most likely.
Some makers don’t call it EQRS and have their own name for it. But here you can find all the helmets that feature EQRS or their equivalents that we’ve looked at so far.
