Football Helmets Fail to Prevent All Injuries

It's Friday night and at high schools across America, stadium lights are being switched on for this week's big football match-ups. But a series of recent injuries has shined a light on the dangers of the game and raised questions about how well helmets protect the players who wear them.

High school players kicking off in Chicago Friday afternoon are among more than a million high school football athletes taking the field this weekend. And they can expect to take some hard hits, reports CBS News correspondent Cynthia Bowers

But what parents and players may not know is that the most critical piece of equipment, their helmets, may not be providing adequate protection against concussions.

"You're going to test the car before you actually market it. And they should do the helmets like that as well," said parent Pricilla Young.

All helmets, from pee wees to the pros have a sticker from NOCSAE, a watchdog agency that confirms the helmets meet safety guidelines. But the question now is, do those guidelines really mean anything?

According to The New York Times, "standards haven't been overhauled since 1973 and therefore helmets may not be properly designed to prevent concussions." Even more troubling, the agency that provides safety guidelines, NOCSAE, is financed by a fee on helmet sales.

"There isn't currently a 'policeman' in the field checking on these helmets," said Dr. Robert Cantu.

Cantu points out that even though concussions and hard hits at pro and college levels have gotten more attention lately, there are 55,000 concussions in high school football each year. Just last year two high school players died of head injuries. Nine suffered permanent disabilities.

"At the high school level that's where you get the greatest mismatch of size and speed, skeletal maturity and also the greatest number of people playing the sport," said Cantu.

Manufacturers still test helmets the same way they did almost 40 years ago, simulating a five foot drop. That test was designed to prevent skull fractures. But these days the problem is finding a way to prevent concussions.

"Research is being done to determine if there is any additions or changes that can be made to make the helmets more protective for concussions," said Mike Oliver, executive director of NOCSAE.

Even with the most advanced helmets on the market, when a player's head strikes a hard surface, the skull is protected but the brain still sloshes around, sometimes causing long term damage.

As research continues, experts say players need to listen to their coaches.

"We always talk about leading with your eyes and keeping your head up," said high school football coach Tim Franken.

Which right now may be the best way to make a violent sport less dangerous.