Leg protection for riders of motorcycles

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Chinn, B. P.¹; Hopes, P.¹; Macaulay, M. A.²

Leg protection for riders of motorcycles

Proceedings of the 10th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV)

Affiliations

¹Transport and Road Research Laboratory, Department of Transport, Crowthorne, United Kingdom

²Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK
Abstract

A major cause of serious injury in motorcycle accidents is the rider's leg being trapped between the motorcycle and a car. This paper gives results from a number of full-scale impact tests of motorcycles with and without leg-protecting fairings. Motorcycles were crashed into a flat, rigid barrier inclined at 30° to their direction of travel. Three basic configurations were studied: motorcycles with no leg protection, with hard leg protection that absorbed negligible amounts of energy, and with soft leg protectors that absorbed 5 to 10 percent of the kinetic energy on impact. The use of a leg-protecting fairing substantially reduced damage to a dummy rider's legs in crash tests, and a protector that absorbs some energy seems preferable to one that does not. These results were achieved without increasing the risk of other types of injury
Links

SAE: 856121

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Cited By (15)

Year	Entry
1996	Zellner JW, Wiley KD, Broen NL, Newman JA. A standardized motorcyclist impact dummy for protective device research. In: Proceedings of the 15th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 13-16, 1996; Melbourne, Australia.1756-1781.
1998	Rogers NM, Zellner JW. An overall evaluation of UKDS motorcyclist leg protectors based on IS0 13232. In: Proceedings of the 16th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 31–June 4, 1998; Windsor, Ontario, Canada.2247-2259.
1985	Watson PM. ESM2: a motorcycle demonstrating improved safety features. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). July 1-4, 1985; Oxford, England.39-44. SAE 856012.
1985	Chinn BP, Donne GL, Hopes PD. Motorcycle rider protection in frontal impacts. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). July 1-4, 1985; Oxford, England.1116-1119. SAE 856128.
1987	Sporner A, Langwieder K, Polauke J. Development of a safety concept for motorcycles: results from accident analysis and crash tests. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 12-15, 1987; Washington, DC.835-842.
1987	Tadokoro H. Load measuring method of occupant's leg on motorcycle collision. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 12-15, 1987; Washington, DC.869-877.
1987	Chinn BP, Hopes PD. Protecting motorcyclists' legs. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 12-15, 1987; Washington, DC.902-909.
1989	Sporner A, Langwieder K, Polauke J. Risk of leg injuries to motorcyclists: present situation and countermeasures. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 29–June 1, 1989; Göteborg, Sweden.1279-1287.
1989	Chinn BP, Hopes PD, Finnis MP. Leg protection and its effect on motorcycle rider trajectory. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). May 29–June 1, 1989; Göteborg, Sweden.1287-1297.
1991	Rogers NM. A technical evaluation of motorcycle leg protectors. In: Proceedings of the 13th International Technical Conference on Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESV). November 4-7, 1991; Paris, France.345-360.
1986	Chinn BP, Macaulay MA. Leg protection for motorcyclists. In: Proceedings of the 1986 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 2-4, 1986; Zurich, Switzerland.277-287.
1986	Hight PV, Newhall PE, Langwieder K, Mackay GM. An international review of motorcycle crashworthiness. In: Proceedings of the 1986 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 2-4, 1986; Zurich, Switzerland.261-276.
1987	Pedder JB, Newman JA. After helmets: is there anything else? In: Proceedings of the 1987 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impact. September 8-10, 1987; Birmingham, UK.43-57.
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1992	Pedder JB. Characteristics of Serious and Fatal Motorcycle Accidents and the Potential for Injury Prevention [PhD thesis]. Birmingham, UK: University of Birmingham; August 1992.