Price wise we talking (same helmet) Aus AUD$849 US AUD$429 delivered

That's exactly my point joe. I'm not too concerned with popo as my old helmet is ex US and i never got in trouble however my life is worht $1 million, I'm only concerned if I crash and die or end up on the wheelchair the insurance company won't pay out.

Technically I don't have a problem with the DOT/Snell approved US helmets as their approval/testing standards are on par if not higher than AS standards.

In the end I'll probably pay $849 to keep the insurance

[QUOTE=BALISTC;572288]What exactly could happen if you use a non AS approved helmet?

If you have a crash and sustain a head injury with a non AS approved helmet, are the hospitals going to refuse you any medical assistance as a result? In an accident where a helmet is destroyed, any helmet is going to end up looking the same, whether its AS or not.

Has anyone ever had an accident and the helmet has been checked to see if its AS approved?

How often do the cops actually check your helmet, IF and when you get pulled over?[/QUOTE]

Of the people I know who have had accidents the insurance company only wanted to see the helmet for the purpose of assessing the damage and organising a replacement helmet. Maybe check policy wording to see whether they mention helmet type or standards?

The cops generally only check your helmet if they want to do you for something and can't find anything else. Similar to yellow stickers I guess, except that most of the cops know even less about helmets than they do about mechanical stuff.

As for safety of different standards etc (from elsewhere on PSB):

"Snell carries out destructive testing. Snell is one of the standards that MotoGP racers are allowed to wear (along with DOT and EC 22.05). In fact, Snell M 2010 covers all the requirements of DOT and EC22.05."

Most US helmets are at a minimum DOT, but many are DOT + Snell.

Just ring your insurer and ask the question..better still email, and then you have a written record.