Emergency call systems are coming to motorcycles and helmets with a French company the latest to release a helmet that calls for help if you crash.
The Kosmos Smart Helmet has sensors which detect a crash and then uses your paired phone and a proprietary app to contact emergency services.
However, just in case you’ve only had a small fall or dropped your helmet, the system first contacts the rider to check.
If the rider doesn’t respond to cancel within a certain time, the emergency call is placed and provides details on the riders location as well as relevant health information.
It’s not the first helmet with this technology.
Help helmets
Several other helmets that call for help after a crash are also being developed.
These emergency call systems have been available in cars for some time and are now mandated throughout Europe with motorcycles and possibly helmets expected to be included in the future.
It points out that motorcyclist deaths have remained stable in major cities over the past decade, but increased in regional and remote Australia by up to almost 50% in recent years.
BMW Motorrad was the first motorcycle company to offer an SOS button in Europe.
The Bosch system uses an “intelligent crash algorithm installed in the vehicle’s inertial sensor unit” to identify a crash via the various sensors such as an accelerometer and lean sensor.
It pairs with their Help Connect phone app to send your location to a Bosch Service Centre.
For example, a USB stick may not be of any use if the first responder doesn’t have a computer while your phone may have a security PIN lock.
Probably the easiest solution is to keep a card in your wallet as that is where first responders check first.
They are also trained to check keys, phones and any labels on your helmet, clothing and bike.
First responder checks for medical info
The idea of making this information available is that first responders will know how to correctly treat you.
It may mean the difference between life and death!
Smart glove
QR code
Now French glove company Racer has developed a smart glove that includes that info for emergency services.
The Racer ID1 gloves feature a special Quick Response (QR) code on the inside of the glove’s cuff.
QR codes have been around since 1994 and are mainly used in advertising.
However, ambulance officers can also scan them with their phone to quickly reveal the relevant info. That’s great if the first responder has such an application on their phone.
Our other concern is that the QR code is fairly small and could easily be missed, plus gloves can come off in a slide down the road.
Racer mainly make ski gloves, but also have a wide range of casual-style motorcycle gloves for summer and heated gloves for winter.
Command and Tourer gloves
The ID1 gloves are not yet on the market, but they seem to have raised the funds to produce the gloves.
It appears they will be available in summer, winter and touring models.
They include the Mt Lindesay Highway, (photo at top of page), Cunningham Highway, Summerland Way and Pacific Highway between Woodburn and Woombah.
Police are asking all motorists to “delay all non-essential travel” in these areas.
The option is a rather lengthy ride, although that may not be a negative for riders!
For example, if you need to travel between Grafton and Ballina, you will have to add about 3.5 hours to your trip and use the Gwydir, New England and Bruxner highways.
If you want to know how dangerous it is riding in a bushfire, watch this Queensland Police video of brave officers alerting residents.
Bushfire survival guide:
Avoid bushfires!
The best survival tip for a bushfire is to avoid it.
Also check the automobile clubs’ websites for the relevant state, as well as transport department traffic sites or apps such as the NSW Live Traffic App.
Try searching the Facebook pages of local fire and police pages.
Of course, you can use your eyes to see where the smoke is and use your commonsense to gauge wind direction and potential fire direction.
However, don’t think you can outrun a bushfire. They can spread faster than any motorcycle can go, often jumping roadways, reducing your chance of survival.
Follow directions
It is not only stupid, but also unlawful to disobey a police or emergency services direction.
If you are told not to go down a road or there is a roadblock, you must not got that way.
The same goes for flood situations.
Don’t start a bushfire
Take notice of total fire ban signs and warnings as you don’t want to start a bushfire.
Fines are hefty and police have been severe in punishing offenders. Don’t expect a good-natured warning!
Riders should also be aware they can accidentally start a fire by parking their bike on dry grass or leaves.
Firefighters say about 40% of all bushfires are accidentally started by humans dropping cigarette butts, campfires, discarding bottles, sparks from machinery and motorcycles.
The catalytic convertor, which is often underneath, is the hottest part of your bike and can easily spark a fire.
Adventure riders who travel off road should take special care.
Caught in a bushfire
If you are caught in a bushfire, your phone (or EPIRB, beacon, etc) will be your best friend.
Work out where you are exactly and then contact police and emergency services to give them your location.
Park your bike behind a solid structure to block as much heat as you can.
Turn off your bike’s engine, but leave the lights and/or hazard lights on.
Stay near your bike, but not too close in case it goes up in flames.
Try to get down low, near a water source or below the level of the fire as they move faster uphill.
Also try to get upwind from a fire.
Dangers of bushfires
Riders are more vulnerable than motorists in cars because they have no air conditioning to regulate air and temperature.
The biggest dangers for riders are from smoke inhalation, low visibility and eye irritation from smoke.
Carry water with you to flush out sore eyes and to ensure you stay hydrated.
Tips to avoid dehydration in a heatwave:
Don’t drink too much alcohol the night before a ride. It has a diuretic effect which means it causes you to urinate more water than you take in which means you are losing fluid. And you can’t counteract that by drinking lots of water because most of it will go out in your urine. Obviously, don’t drink alcohol while you are riding!
Start drinking water as soon as you wake and keep sipping water right up until you get on your bike. It takes about half an hour for water to reach your muscles. Guzzling water just before a ride is not good as it can make your stomach to cramp. The Royal Flying Doctor Service which has attended dehydrated riders in the Outback, recommends carrying 10 litres of water per day! Read their Outback riding tips here.
Wear ventilated motorcycle clothing. Leathers may protect you better in a crash, but they create a “microclimate” which impairs your ability to lose heat. As a result you will produce more sweat to decrease your core temp. Instead, wear a flow-through jacket. There are heaps of options on the market. Make sure they have vents in the back so the air flows through. Also, loosen the sleeves so you get plenty of air on your wrists which have a lot of blood vessels close to the skin to effectively cool you down. However, be aware that a flow-through jacket cools you down because it is drying the sweat off your skin which can lead to dehydration. A set of Ventz up your sleeve will also keep you cool as air flows up your arms.However, don’t be fooled by your level of coolness as ventilation can also cause you to loose more water through evaporation. So you still need to keep drinking plenty of water.
Don’t be tempted to remove your jacket in the heat! Exposed skin may feel cooler, but that’s because the sweat is evaporating quicker, but that is just making you more dehydrated. And while your skin feels cool, you’ll be tricked into staying in the sun longer which leads to sunburn. That also leads to dehydration because your body needs water to repair and renew damaged skin.
Get a Camelbak or other brand of water-dispensing unit so you can continue to take small sips of water while you are riding. I’ve seen riders on GoldWings and other big tourers with cup holders so they can take slurps from a water bottle. That’s obviously not as safe as the hands-free Camelback option, but anything is better than nothing. Some people don’t like Camelbaks because the water gets hot, but the temperature of the water doesn’t affect dehydration.
Stop more often than usual and hang out in the shade or in an air-conditioned cafe. Since you are drinking lots of fluids, you will probably need to stop anyway!
While you’re stopped, have a coffee, but take it easy. No need to swear off your favourite caramel latte, but avoid excess coffee. That also goes for caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull. High levels of caffeine have a diuretic effect just like alcohol.
While having a coffee break, avoid having too many sweet cakes, donuts and muffins. Sugar can dehydrate you if it gets to very high levels in your blood. This can happen if you are a diabetic, take certain medications or have an infection or some organ diseases. Sugar causes your kidneys to produce more urine to eliminate the sugar, leading to dehydration. Likewise, don’t drink too many sugary drinks. Best to stick to plain water, real fruit juices with no added sugar or drinks such as Gatorade that replace salts and minerals lost in sweat.
We’ve talked a lot about urine and it’s important that you monitor the colour. It should be a straw colour. If it’s too dark, you are dehydrated.
Sweat also depletes your body of sodium and if it becomes too low, it can cause many of the same symptoms as dehydration. The average diet probably has enough sodium, but it’s good to have a little bit of salt on your meals or drink sports drinks that have a sodium supplement. However, beware of sports drinks with caffeine and sugar.
The popular motorcycle routes of Summerland Way and the Gwydir Highway in northern NSW are closed due to bushfires.
An 11km stretch of Summerland Way between Leeville and Whiporie and a 5km section of the Gwydir Highway from east of Jackadgery to Eatonsville are closed for back burning and tree clearing.
The highway is also closed between Ramornie Station and Tindal roads.
Riders should consider alternate routes.
Emergency work being carried out includes specialists examining trees along and nearby the road to assess and manage the risk of them falling, inspecting road infrastructure such as bridges, culverts and safety barriers, as well as clearing debris from the road.
For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW App, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.
Bushfire warnings
Meanwhile, there are also bushfire cautions about riding through areas of south east Queensland.
Police and emergency services are urging all motorists, in particular vulnerable motorcyclists, to heed warnings, avoid danger areas and stay hydrated.
Riders should be aware of the dangers of riding in bushfire areas and of accidentally starting bushfires in the current tinder-dry drought conditions.
Bushfires can spread rapidly and even outrun a vulnerable rider.
Riders are also in danger from smoke inhalation and low visibility and eye irritation from smoke.
But rural fire services also say several fires have been sparked by motorcycles.
They say about 40% of all bushfires are accidentally started by humans dropping cigarette butts, campfires, discarding bottles, sparks from machinery and motorcycles.
Most riders who accidentally spark these blazes are off-road and adventure bikes riding in the bush and on forestry tracks.
However, there is also the possibility of fires being started by road bikes if the rider pulls over to the side of the road where they may be long, dry grass.
The bike’s engine, exhaust, or catalytic convertor can be hot enough to set grass alight.
Tips to avoid dehydration in a heatwave:
Don’t drink too much alcohol the night before a ride. It has a diuretic effect which means it causes you to urinate more water than you take in which means you are losing fluid. And you can’t counteract that by drinking lots of water because most of it will go out in your urine. Obviously, don’t drink alcohol while you are riding!
Start drinking water as soon as you wake and keep sipping water right up until you get on your bike. It takes about half an hour for water to reach your muscles. Guzzling water just before a ride is not good as it can make your stomach to cramp. The Royal Flying Doctor Service which has attended dehydrated riders in the Outback, recommends carrying 10 litres of water per day! Read their Outback riding tips here.
Wear ventilated motorcycle clothing. Leathers may protect you better in a crash, but they create a “microclimate” which impairs your ability to lose heat. As a result you will produce more sweat to decrease your core temp. Instead, wear a flow-through jacket. There are heaps of options on the market. Make sure they have vents in the back so the air flows through. Also, loosen the sleeves so you get plenty of air on your wrists which have a lot of blood vessels close to the skin to effectively cool you down. However, be aware that a flow-through jacket cools you down because it is drying the sweat off your skin which can lead to dehydration. A set of Ventz up your sleeve will also keep you cool as air flows up your arms.However, don’t be fooled by your level of coolness as ventilation can also cause you to loose more water through evaporation. So you still need to keep drinking plenty of water.
Don’t be tempted to remove your jacket in the heat! Exposed skin may feel cooler, but that’s because the sweat is evaporating quicker, but that is just making you more dehydrated. And while your skin feels cool, you’ll be tricked into staying in the sun longer which leads to sunburn. That also leads to dehydration because your body needs water to repair and renew damaged skin.
Get a Camelbak or other brand of water-dispensing unit so you can continue to take small sips of water while you are riding. I’ve seen riders on GoldWings and other big tourers with cup holders so they can take slurps from a water bottle. That’s obviously not as safe as the hands-free Camelback option, but anything is better than nothing. Some people don’t like Camelbaks because the water gets hot, but the temperature of the water doesn’t affect dehydration.
Stop more often than usual and hang out in the shade or in an air-conditioned cafe. Since you are drinking lots of fluids, you will probably need to stop anyway!
While you’re stopped, have a coffee, but take it easy. No need to swear off your favourite caramel latte, but avoid excess coffee. That also goes for caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull. High levels of caffeine have a diuretic effect just like alcohol.
While having a coffee break, avoid having too many sweet cakes, donuts and muffins. Sugar can dehydrate you if it gets to very high levels in your blood. This can happen if you are a diabetic, take certain medications or have an infection or some organ diseases. Sugar causes your kidneys to produce more urine to eliminate the sugar, leading to dehydration. Likewise, don’t drink too many sugary drinks. Best to stick to plain water, real fruit juices with no added sugar or drinks such as Gatorade that replace salts and minerals lost in sweat.
We’ve talked a lot about urine and it’s important that you monitor the colour. It should be a straw colour. If it’s too dark, you are dehydrated.
Sweat also depletes your body of sodium and if it becomes too low, it can cause many of the same symptoms as dehydration. The average diet probably has enough sodium, but it’s good to have a little bit of salt on your meals or drink sports drinks that have a sodium supplement. However, beware of sports drinks with caffeine and sugar.
Ok, I know I said there were only 10 tips, but dehydration doesn’t just occur in a heatwave. In winter, the cold can shut off the body’s thirst mechanism and trick you into thinking you’re not sweating. Meanwhile, your body is losing fluids as the air passes over your body.
Heat, a dust storm and bushfires are expected over the next few days across much of the nation, making life difficult for riders.
Temperatures are expected to reach the 40s across much of South Australia, Victoria, NSW and Queensland on Sunday and Monday, causing a return of bushfire conditions.
Police and emergency services are urging all motorists, in particular vulnerable motorcyclists, to heed warnings, avoid danger areas and stay hydrated.
Dust storm
The weather bureau is also predicting winds to pick up on Sunday and Monday, creating dust storm conditions over the parched outback.
Heatwave conditions are bad enough, but add in a dust storm and it makes dehydration a bigger risk for riders exposed to the elements.
The dangers of becoming dehydrated in a heatwave are headaches, disorientation, heat stroke, muscle cramps, loss of concentration, drowsiness and nausea, each of which can cause crashes.
And the problem is that once any of these symptoms becomes evident, it is already too late to do anything about it.
The dust storm will also limit riders’ vision and clog your bike’s air filter, so remember to clean the filter after your ride.
Tips to avoid dehydration in a heatwave:
Don’t drink too much alcohol the night before a ride. It has a diuretic effect which means it causes you to urinate more water than you take in which means you are losing fluid. And you can’t counteract that by drinking lots of water because most of it will go out in your urine. Obviously, don’t drink alcohol while you are riding!
Start drinking water as soon as you wake and keep sipping water right up until you get on your bike. It takes about half an hour for water to reach your muscles. Guzzling water just before a ride is not good as it can make your stomach to cramp. The Royal Flying Doctor Service which has attended dehydrated riders in the Outback, recommends carrying 10 litres of water per day! Read their Outback riding tips here.
Wear ventilated motorcycle clothing. Leathers may protect you better in a crash, but they create a “microclimate” which impairs your ability to lose heat. As a result you will produce more sweat to decrease your core temp. Instead, wear a flow-through jacket. There are heaps of options on the market. Make sure they have vents in the back so the air flows through. Also, loosen the sleeves so you get plenty of air on your wrists which have a lot of blood vessels close to the skin to effectively cool you down. However, be aware that a flow-through jacket cools you down because it is drying the sweat off your skin which can lead to dehydration. A set of Ventz up your sleeve will also keep you cool as air flows up your arms.However, don’t be fooled by your level of coolness as ventilation can also cause you to loose more water through evaporation. So you still need to keep drinking plenty of water.
Don’t be tempted to remove your jacket in the heat! Exposed skin may feel cooler, but that’s because the sweat is evaporating quicker, but that is just making you more dehydrated. And while your skin feels cool, you’ll be tricked into staying in the sun longer which leads to sunburn. That also leads to dehydration because your body needs water to repair and renew damaged skin.
Get a Camelbak or other brand of water-dispensing unit so you can continue to take small sips of water while you are riding. I’ve seen riders on GoldWings and other big tourers with cup holders so they can take slurps from a water bottle. That’s obviously not as safe as the hands-free Camelback option, but anything is better than nothing. Some people don’t like Camelbaks because the water gets hot, but the temperature of the water doesn’t affect dehydration.
Stop more often than usual and hang out in the shade or in an air-conditioned cafe. Since you are drinking lots of fluids, you will probably need to stop anyway!
While you’re stopped, have a coffee, but take it easy. No need to swear off your favourite caramel latte, but avoid excess coffee. That also goes for caffeinated drinks such as Red Bull. High levels of caffeine have a diuretic effect just like alcohol.
While having a coffee break, avoid having too many sweet cakes, donuts and muffins. Sugar can dehydrate you if it gets to very high levels in your blood. This can happen if you are a diabetic, take certain medications or have an infection or some organ diseases. Sugar causes your kidneys to produce more urine to eliminate the sugar, leading to dehydration. Likewise, don’t drink too many sugary drinks. Best to stick to plain water, real fruit juices with no added sugar or drinks such as Gatorade that replace salts and minerals lost in sweat.
We’ve talked a lot about urine and it’s important that you monitor the colour. It should be a straw colour. If it’s too dark, you are dehydrated.
Sweat also depletes your body of sodium and if it becomes too low, it can cause many of the same symptoms as dehydration. The average diet probably has enough sodium, but it’s good to have a little bit of salt on your meals or drink sports drinks that have a sodium supplement. However, beware of sports drinks with caffeine and sugar.
Ok, I know I said there were only 10 tips, but dehydration doesn’t just occur in a heatwave. In winter, the cold can shut off the body’s thirst mechanism and trick you into thinking you’re not sweating. Meanwhile, your body is losing fluids as the air passes over your body.
Motorcycles should be fitted with automatic crash call technology to reduce emergency response times which are more lethal in Australia’s rural and remote areas, an Austroads report has found.
It points out that motorcyclist deaths have remained stable in major cities over the past decade, but increased in regional and remote Australia by up to almost 50% in recent years.
Delays in reaching crash victims in rural and remote areas include difficulties in locating crash sites and a lack of mobile phone reception, according to emergency organisations and motorcycle rider groups.
The report found the average time for a first responder to arrive at a motorcycle crash in rural and remote areas was 55 minutes compared with 18 minutes in urban areas.
Remote crash victims also took an average of 11.6 hours to arrive at a hospital emergency department compared with 59 minutes in urban areas.
“Retrieval time subsequently impacts on crash outcomes with delays until discovery or delays in accessing the trauma system increasing the risk of mortality following major trauma,” the repot finds.
The probability of a rider dying increased by 2.7% for every 100km from a hospital.
It’s a worrying statistic for adventure riders heading out into the Outback.
As a more rural example, the report says more than half of all Victorian motorcycle crashes occur in the Gippsland region where ambulance response times are 29.9 minutes compared with metropolitan times of 12.7-17.2 minutes.
South Australia and NSW are the only states with post-crash emergency response in their road safety strategy and action plans.
Auto emergency call tech
Austroads claims automatic collision notification (ACN) would reduce crash fatalities by up to 3.8% and calls for the systems in all vehicles, including motorcycles.
These emergency call systems have been available in cars for some time and are now mandated throughout Europe with motorcycles expected to be included in the future.
BMW Motorrad is the first motorcycle company to offer an SOS button in Europe.
BMW SOS button
It is not yet available in Australia because of an eCall hardware update and the lack of a nationwide rollout.
The button alerts the emergency services and provides GPS co-ordinates of the rider’s position.
It is also connected to various sensors on the bike to detect whether the rider has crashed.
However, the report notes that problem with these systems in Australia is the lack of mobile phone coverage in rural areas.
Police have released dramatic footage today of brave bike cops leading evacuations during Queensland’s bushfire crisis this week.
The footage shows the cops riding amid swirling embers surrounded by flames as they escort people from their homes on the Sunshine Coast.
With hot and windy conditions returning in the next couple of days, more police and emergency services are expected to be risking their lives in similar situations.
Police have renewed their calls for riders and other motorists to stay away from bushfires for their own sake and the lives of all emergency services workers.
They say motorists “rubbernecking” put emergency workers’ lives at risk as well as the lives and properties of the public.
Officers can issue you with an on-the-spot penalty infringement notice or court proceedings.
In some cases, where there is a critical need, a written approval may be given by the department or by Queensland Police to ride through a restricted road use notice sign. This does not include a no entry sign.
While car drivers are at risk in a bushfire crisis, motorcyclists are at greater risk because of their exposure to the flames and embers as shown in the above video.
Bushfires can spread rapidly and even outrun a vulnerable rider, no matter how fast you are riding!
If you find yourself caught in a bushfire area, put your hazard lights on to increase your visibility in the smoke.
Park your bike with the engine off in a clearing or behind a barrier such as a wall or rocky outcrop.
Stay with your bike with the hazards on and wait for police or emergency services.
Sparking a fire
Rural fire services also point out that fires have been sparked by motorcycles in the past.
They say about 40% of all bushfires are accidentally started by humans dropping cigarette butts, campfires, discarding bottles, sparks from machinery and motorcycles.
Most riders who accidentally spark these blazes are off-road and adventure bikes riding in the bush and on forestry tracks.
However, there is also the possibility of fires being started by road bikes if the rider pulls over to the side of the road where they may be long, dry grass.
The bike’s engine, exhaust, or catalytic convertor can be hot enough to set dry grass alight.
When the bushfire crisis is over, riders should rally to the aid of rural areas devastated by the bushfires to spend their much-needed dollars.
Crash witnesses are sometimes too scared of being sued to provide first-aid or assistance to crashed riders, says paramedic Michael Beak of First Bike on the Scene Australia.
“There is a lot of misinformation about the legalities of helping a crash victim on social media,” he says.
“I put in a lot of effort to reassure people during my courses that the chances of being sued is virtually zero.”
The First Bike on Scene course was originally developed by Paramedics working in the North West Ambulance Service (UK) in 2003/4.
“Due to the nature of their work and being bikers themselves, they realised the need for a medical emergency care course appropriate to the needs of injured motorcyclists,” Michael says.
He is now offering the course in Australia and is looking for like-minded paramedics to join him.
“What’s different about First Bike on Scene is that emergency response skills are delivered by registered operational paramedics only,” he says.
“So students are taught skills that are evidence-based medicine, world’s best practice and comply with Australian Resuscitation Council (ARC) Guidelines.
“Paramedics are the experts in pre-hospital emergency care. It’s what they train for, it’s what they do for the duration of their operational career.”
Paramedic background
Michael is a Mt Tamborine resident, Army Reserve medic of 10 years, Honda FVR750 rider and operational paramedic for 25 years.
He has been teaching first-aid for almost 30 years and started a first-aid training business (www.surefirefirstaid.com.au) eight years ago.
“Unfortunately, I have attended my fair share of motorcycle-related incidents,” he says.
Michael raced 250cc production and historic motorbikes in the late 1980s when he was a teenager and worked in Phil Beaumont’s motorcycle shop in Newstead, Brisbane.
“I was like a kid in a candy shop,” he says.
“I’ve crashed and broken a lot of bones in my years of riding, but when I broke my collar bone five years ago at walking pace on my Honda XR250 at a motocross park I was off work for 10 weeks and decided I needed a back-up plan.
“That’s when I decided to launch my own first-aid training centre and First Bike on the Scene is one of my specialty divisions.”
He says the courses are open to all riders and cost from $85 for the stand-alone course up to more advanced courses.
They will be launched in South East Queensland with the intention of spreading around the nation as registered paramedics are recruited.
The FBoS introductory course includes crash scene management, airway management, injury assessment, head and neck (c-spine) injury management, bleeding control, recognition of catastrophic bleeding, safe helmet removal in special circumstances, log roll and trauma CPR.
First responder tips for crashed riders
Michael says the most important feature of a first-care provider is that they take charge at a crash scene.
“Even if it’s ‘fake it until you make it’, you have to convince everyone present that you know what you are doing, be confident and, if necessary, even assertive. Then people are happy to follow,” he says.
“The other important thing is that they think about the danger of other traffic.
“There have been untold times I’ve been at a crash and you suddenly hear the locking up of brakes.
“A couple of times people have even skidded into emergency trucks. It’s like a moth to a light when they see the flashing lights. You go where you look.”
Q&A
Michael has offered to write about some hot topics involving crash scene management and crashed rider first-aid.
If you have any questions about how to manage a crash scene or help a crashed rider, please leave your query in the comments section below and he will respond.
I.C.E.mergency USB stores medical information.
First responder checks for medical info
QR code
Command and Tourer gloves
