Addressing the gaps in motorcycle rider protection

Abstract

Motorcyclists are the fastest growing sector of road users globally and represent an increasing proportion of road crash casualties. Few gains in motorcycle rider protection have been made, and as such, there is limited protection available for motorcyclists. Passive protective measures for motorcycle riders have focussed on helmets and protective clothing, but there is still progress to be made in terms of the performance of this clothing. Additionally, the pelvic region is a frequently injured body region and currently there is no protection provided for this body region. This thesis presents five inter-related studies addressing the gaps in motorcycle rider protection. Methods used included retrospective review of motorcycle crashes, in-depth crash investigation and mechanical testing. Descriptive and nonparametric statistical analysis techniques were used. The results indicated that while protective clothing can help prevent rider injury, the quality of clothing is variable. They confirmed that the EU Standard for motorcycle clothing is an appropriate approach to assessing the quality of motorcycle clothing, but minor modifications are recommended to the clothing template and consideration should be given to inclusion of requirements for lining materials. The results also indicate that the Cambridge abrasion machine effectively assesses and ranks the performance of motorcycle clothing and longer abrasion times result in a reduced probability of injury. However, the abrasion performance requirements of EN13595 may be set too low. The relatively poor abrasion resistance performance of clothing currently being worn by Australian motorcyclists observed in this body of work indicates the need form of quality control or a performance rating system of the clothing. One in five riders sustain pelvic injuries, yet this body region currently remains unprotected. These injuries are commonly due to contact with the motorcycle fuel tank and display patterns associated with frontal loading. These injuries could be minimised through appropriate fuel tank design, rider clothing or motorcycle airbags but the tank features causing these injuries remain to be identified. The results suggest that fuel tank angle and the type of motorcycle may have a role to play.