SummaryFurther effort is required throughout EuropeExperts agree that, in order to increase the safety of motorcyclists even further, there are a number of approaches that can be adopted.ABS and airbag are, in this connection, key words, alongside protective clothing and helmets, visibility, road infrastructure and roadconstruction measures, driver training and safety training, as well as the periodical technical inspection of motorcycles.Year on year, fewer and fewer people arekilled on the roads throughout virtuallythe whole of Europe. This is an extremelypleasing development, especially againstthe background of the EU Road SafetyCharter signed by DEKRA, among others,in 2001, the declared aim of which is tohalve the number of deaths on the road to25,000 by <strong>2010</strong>.But there is a downside: while thenumber of car users killed on the roads hasdeclined, the number of motorcyclists killedon the roads has stagnated at a comparativelyhigh level. Although a decline hasoccurred in many EU States – in Germany,for example, between 2001 and 2008 from964 to 656 (= minus 32%) or in Francefrom 1,092 to 817 (= minus 25%), the trendin other States is upward. The rise has beenparticularly high in, among other places,Italy: between 2001 and 2008 the number ofmotorcyclists killed on the roads rose from848 to 1,086 (= plus 28%). This shows thataction is required on many fronts.An important basis for all measures are,for a start, detailed and harmonised statisticson motorcycle accidents. The crossnationalstatistics provided for example bythe EU database of CARE or the annualreports of the IRTAD (International RoadTraffic and Accident Database), as well asnational statistics, provide much more accuratedata material than a few years ago,but a clear and, above all, pan-Europeanuniform distinction between motorcycles,scooters, mopeds and powered cyclesis still lacking. A harmonised Europeanaccident database would be importantbecause governments can only create theframework conditions for greater roadsafety on the basis of detailed and accurateaccident data.
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING,HELMETS AND PROTECTORSIncreasing passive and active vehiclesafety offers great potential for a pan-European fall in the numbers of injuredand fatally injured motorcyclists. Unlikepassenger cars or lorries, motorcyclesdo not have a protective rigid body andso motorcyclists are directly exposed toinjury during collisions or falls, with seriousaccidents in particular often resultingin death. The wearing of adequatetear-proof and abrasion-proof as well asclearly visible protective clothing andprotectors is just as important as wearinga helmet, for the selection of which caremust be taken to ensure that it complieswith the current ECE standard R 22-05.Integral helmets are to be preferred overhalf-shell or jet helmets, the formerclearly offering greater protection, especiallyin the chin and face area. It is ofcourse also important that the helmet sitsfirmly on the head and that the chinstrapis fastened.The scientific accident analyses showthat motorcyclists still sustain seriouschest injuries as a result of impacts.Within the framework of the EU project“APROSYS” (Advanced PROtection SYStems),in which DEKRA, among others,was involved, a study was therefore carriedout to develop appropriate protectionspecifically for this region of thebody. Several simulations to determinethe effectiveness of the chest protectorshowed that it distributed the forcesexerted during impact better, therebypreventing dangerous, inwardly directedrib fractures.AIRBAGS, DAYTIME DRIVING LISTSAND HIGH-VISIBILITY JACKETSAnother, very promising, protective elementduring an accident is the motorcycleairbag. Numerous crash tests, such asthose carried out by DEKRA for manyyears, have demonstrated the effectivenessof the airbag, especially in collisions with apassenger car, which is the most commonopposing vehicle in an accident. Especiallywhen the head strikes against the side roofedge of a passenger car, the frequency ofinjuries to the motorcyclist’s head, neckand chest is particularly high. The airbaghelps to cushion or even completely eliminatehead impacts. It can also reduce therisk of injury when a motorcyclist impactsagainst the tank of his motorcycle or getscaught on the handlebars.Accidents between motorcycles andpassenger cars often happen because passengercar drivers often become awareof motorcycles too late. Special daytimedriving lights could help to alleviate this,as shown by a study carried out by theBundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (BASt)(Federal Highway Research Institute).As a consequence of the findings of theinvestigation into the recognisability ofmotorcycles, according to the BASt thefitting of one or two in accordance withECE-R 87 to motorcycles should be allowed,so that the motorcyclist can rideduring the day with daytime driving lightsswitched on instead of a dipped beam. Asfar as the recognisability of motorcyclistsis concerned, a further safety elementshould not be forgotten: the high-visibilityjacket. In many EU States, such as France,Italy, Spain, Portugal and Austria, thewearing of these high-visibility jacketsis an obligation. They must also be wornby motorcyclists outside built-up areas incase of breakdown or accident. A similarregulation could also be appropriate forGermany.FEWER ACCIDENTSAS A RESULT OF ABSThere is no doubt that, in the future, thefocus will shift more and more to activesafety systems. Compared with a passengercar, there are fewer possibilities forincorporating passive safety elements intomotorcycles. Therefore, the importance ofthe use of active safety for motorcyclistscannot be overstated. This is particularlytrue of anti-lock braking systems (ABS),which are being offered more frequentlyby manufacturers – fortunately not just intop models.54 | 55
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