Forcite Helmets Update The Federal Government has awarded Forcite Helmet Systems Pty Ltd (Forcite), the University of Canberra, Macquarie University, Western Sydney University and industry partners a $1,650,505 research grant to help reduce motorcycle accidents and fatalities with an advanced rider assistance system. Forcite is partnering with the three universities, Transport for NSW, APPRO Photoelectron […]
In coming seasons, the number of competitors on track in each series will be limited as outlined below. In addition, new age limits for each class, series or Championship will come into force. These age limits will be introduced as part of a policy to be implemented worldwide, with the FIM committed to ensuring they are also adhered to by National Federations and Continental Unions, to make a discernible difference to the sport at every level.
Raising the minimum age for each category of motorcycle racing is a decision taken in order to ensure a safer pathway for all riders beginning and continuing their careers.
In addition, increasing the age limit for certain categories will enable greater parity between different countries and continents, helping to increase accessibility by levelling the playing field and ensuring each rider is able to gain similar experience in different categories around the world.
From 2022
The Talent Cups, which are organised and/or supported by Dorna, such as the European, British, Northern and Asia Talent Cups, as well as pre-Moto3 series, will raise the minimum age to 13 and there will be a maximum of 30 competitors on each grid.
The minimum age for competitors in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup will be raised to 14.
The FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship in the FIM CEV Repsol will see the minimum age limit raised from 14 to 15. A maximum of 32 competitors will be permitted in each race.
In the WorldSSP300 class in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, the minimum age limit will be raised from 15 to 16. A maximum of 32 riders will be allowed to line up on the grid.
For the 2022 season, there will be an exception granted for riders who have already entered in the same class in 2021 to allow them to continue to race.
For 2023 and thereafter, the proposal is to raise age limits further as follows:
A minimum age of 14 should be applied to all racing at any Grand Prix-type circuits, including all those that have or have had Grade A, B or C homologation, which will include the Asia, British, European and Northern Talent Cups.
The minimum age for competitors in any class in the FIM MotoGP World Championship will be raised to 18. This includes for Moto3 and Moto2, for which the age limit is currently 16.
The winner of the FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship and/or the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup will be allowed to join Moto3 at 17 years of age. For the 2023 season only, there will also be an exception granted for riders who have already entered Moto3 in 2022 to allow them to continue to race.
The FIM Moto3 Junior World Championship and the Moto2 European Championship, both in the FIM CEV Repsol, will have a minimum age limit of 16. The Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup will also increase the minimum age by one more year to 15.
With the same philosophy as that applied in 2022 (for riders who have already competed in 2021), an exception will be granted to riders already participating in the Talent Cups in 2022 to allow them to continue to race in the same class in 2023.
The minimum age for competitors in the WorldSSP Championship will be raised to 18.
We are waiting to hear what changes will be made to any of the road racing categories currently in operation across Australia.
Rider Equipment
From 2022, airbags will be compulsory in all Sprint Circuit Racing FIM championships.
For the FIM Sidecar World Championship, tests are underway to determine whether the known algorithms are valid for passengers. These tests will make it possible to know whether the airbag can be used by all participants from 2022.
Air bags to become compulsory across all categories
Rider safety equipment has improved significantly throughout the decades and continues to do so thanks to improvements across the industry, from leathers, gloves, back and chest protectors and boots to FIM homologated helmets and innovative airbag systems. It has never been safer to ride a motorcycle at speed and these improvements help to protect a rider from injury, in many instances helping to save lives whilst not compromising rideability, which is also intrinsic to on-track safety.
A first meeting took place at the Aragon GP between all partners, including leather and helmet suppliers, technical staff and medical personnel, on the next step towards improving the level of protection afforded by rider equipment, with increased focus on protecting competitors against an impact from another rider or motorcycle, particularly the chest and neck.
All parties are committed to making improvements in these areas and meeting this challenge as safely and as quickly as possible whilst ensuring the high level of current protection is not compromised.
Rider Communication
The ease and speed of communication between riders, pit wall and Race Direction has improved significantly in recent years, with dashboard technology, high-tech light panels at circuits and instant channels of communication between marshal posts and Race Direction all contributing to a safer environment for all competitors.
The next step to increase the safety of all those on track will focus on communicating to a rider or bike that a crash has taken place ahead as soon as possible.
A first meeting between all partners and technical suppliers has already taken place in order to discuss the installation and implementation of the required technology in rider equipment, on motorcycles and/or around each circuit, the aim of which is to implement automatic, near-instant warning systems for all following riders/motorcycles. The first tests will start as soon as the beginning of the 2022 season, and the system must and will be applicable to Championships of all levels, including Talent Cups.
We receive numerous emails each day asking for sponsored articles to be posted here on MCNews.com.au, along with various other angles PR and SEO companies work in their quest to obtain valuable links through to their sites. We generally ignore them all. Law firms offer the most money for such things which is why you might notice some sites offering plenty of articles with a legal angle.
Some of the most unique approaches also come from law firms and one recently landed in our inbox with the headline ‘Motorcyclist fatalities up 42% year on year, highest rate in 10+ years | LHD Report’. Obviously that is quite a startling headline that would generally garner plenty of clicks, as it was designed to do, but we thought we might see how they have come up with their figures.
Their message was as follows and included the accompanying graphics
Using data from the Australian Road Deaths Database (ARDD), LHD Lawyers have analysed road transport crash fatality data as reported by the police to compare the first half of 2021 with trends over a ten year period (2011-2021).
The data has revealed some truths, in which we think the MCNews readers will find interesting, including:
Alarmingly, motorcyclist fatalities have risen 42% year on year and are now at their highest in 10+ years
Road users aged 40-64 have made up 31% of all Australian road fatalities in the last 10 years. This segment increases among cyclists and motorcyclists, where 44% of deaths are Generation X or Baby Boomers.
Road fatalities are up 7.5% in the first half of 2021 compared to last year
Saturday is the deadliest day, with 17.6% of road deaths occurring on this day
76% of all road deaths were male in H1 2021
They then subsequently followed this up with this.
A recent study analysing government data on road-related fatalities has shown how different road users, including motorcyclists, can stay safe on the roads by understanding common traits of traffic fatalities and being aware of the risks.
The research piece, conducted by LHD Lawyers, used 10 years of data and almost 12,000 crash reports from the Australian Road Deaths Database (ARDD) to help road users understand when & how fatal accidents happen.
While overall fatal road accidents have been falling over a 10 year period, a surge in motorcycle road use has led to a 42% increase in deaths when comparing H1 2021 against H1 2020.
Sunday is the most dangerous day to be on a motorcycle
21% of all motorcyclist accidents occur on a Sunday, with 41% occuring on the weekend. The least number of accidents occur on Mondays, which equals 10%. Interestingly the amount of accidents increase as the week goes on.
There is a much clearer pattern of weekend accidents for motorcyclists compared to other road users, with the most dangerous days being Wednesday and Thursday for pedal cyclists.
Day of week
All Road Users
Motorcyclists
Pedal Cyclists
Monday
12%
10%
12%
Tuesday
12%
11%
15%
Wednesday
13%
11%
16%
Thursday
13%
12%
16%
Friday
16%
14%
11%
Saturday
18%
20%
15%
Sunday
16%
21%
14%
24% of all motorcycle fatalities occur between 2pm and 5pm
Afternoons are without question the most deadly times to be on the road for all users and motorcyclists in particular.
Day of week
All Road Users
Motorcyclists
Pedal Cyclists
0:00
3%
2%
1%
1:00
3%
2%
0%
2:00
2%
1%
0%
3:00
2%
1%
1%
4:00
2%
0%
1%
5:00
3%
1%
3%
6:00
4%
3%
8%
7:00
4%
3%
8%
8:00
4%
3%
11%
9:00
4%
5%
7%
10:00
5%
5%
7%
11:00
5%
7%
5%
12:00
5%
8%
3%
13:00
5%
7%
3%
14:00
6%
8%
5%
15:00
7%
8%
6%
16:00
6%
8%
7%
17:00
6%
7%
6%
18:00
5%
5%
6%
19:00
5%
4%
3%
20:00
4%
3%
3%
21:00
4%
3%
3%
22:00
3%
3%
1%
23:00
3%
2%
1%
27% of all fatalities occur on roads with 100km speed limit
33% of all road fatalities occur on roads with a 100km per hour speed limit with 27% of these fatalities being motorcyclists. Unsurprisingly, only 1% of deaths occur on roads under 30km per hour.
Road Speed
All Road Users
Motorcyclists
Pedal Cyclists
30km/h (or under)
1%
1%
2%
40km/h
1%
2%
2%
50km/h
11%
14%
23%
60km/h
17%
24%
29%
70km/h
5%
6%
5%
80km/h
15%
19%
15%
90km/h
2%
2%
1%
100km/h
33%
27%
17%
110km/h
13%
5%
4%
130km/h
1%
0%
0%
42% of motorcyclist accidents occur in major cities
Unsurprisingly, the largest share of deaths occur in major Australian cities, but 54% of are occuring in regional areas of some kind. Pedal cyclist deaths are far more skewed to city locations.
Type of Area
All Road Users
Motorcyclists
Pedal Cyclists
Inner Regional
32%
33%
16%
Major Cities
34%
42%
69%
Outer Regional
24%
21%
10%
Remote Australia
4%
2%
2%
Very Remote Areas
5%
3%
3%
“The biggest trend we see is consistency,” says John Abouchrouche, Managing Director at LHD Lawyers. “Despite best efforts, an alarming number of Australians continue to lose their lives on our roads each year and even more are seriously injured. With 16% of our clients coming to us after a motoring injury, we see all too often the devastating consequences of poor decision making on the road”.
In reality the trend is a positive one for motorcycling
Rather than take these figures at face value we thought it would be wise to do some digging of our own, and enlisted the help of Australian Motorcycle Council Chairman, Shaun Lennard, to try to sort the wheat from the chaff and interpret the data available in regards to motorcycle crashes in Australia.
AMC focussed on the headline claim that ‘‘Motorcyclist fatalities up 42% year on year, highest rate in 10+ years’.
They found that, notwithstanding the significant growth in registrations since 2004, the number of deaths has remained much the same.
AMC Chairman Shaun Lennard
The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) publishes detailed information on Australia’s road toll – every month and then a detailed annual analysis. The focus is mostly on trends – usually looking at five years or more.
Motorcycle fatalities have not risen 42% year on year. We have looked closely at the LHD report and the BITRE data to understand where their figure has come from.
It’s true that motorcycle deaths in the first six months of 2021 were 42% higher than the first six months of 2020. January to June 2020, the total was 93. Over the first six months of 2021, it was 132.
However, looking at a narrow set of figures can give a skewed view, and that’s why governments and others generally look at five year trends when making any road safety assessment.
Let’s instead look at some five-year figures and trends. The five year average for motorcycle deaths in 2010 was 233. The five year average at the end of 2020 was 210.
The highest number of deaths in the past decade was 249, in 2016 – and we note that was the highest in the past 20 years.
In 2020, the number of motorcycle rider deaths was 190.
Over the past ten years, the number of deaths has reduced on average by 0.6%, so the claim of a 42% increase – no matter which way you analyse numbers – is clearly an error.
Australian Motorcycle Crash Data
When you overlay the registration data, which BITRE also does, the picture for motorcycle safety is actually one of significant improvement over any five or ten year period.
From 2010 to 2020, the number of registered motorcycles and scooters increased significantly – by 33% – from 661,000 in 2010 to 881,000 in 2020. So when you look at the death rate for riders, it has declined, and markedly.
In 2010, the fatality rate was 3.4 per 10,000 registrations. It was 2.2 by the end of 2020. That’s a 35% decrease in the fatality rate in ten years. That’s also a far cry from when it was around 14 per 10,000 riders 40 years ago, in 1980.
There’s still more that can and needs to be done, but as the total number of powered two wheelers on the roads in Australian gets close to 900,000 the overall picture for motorcycle safety is definitely encouraging.
So there you have it, we are not doing so bad after all…
Helmets may soon cost riders less thanks to virtual helmet safety testing that avoids the expense of destroying helmets in laboratory crash tests.
Instead of destroying a helmet by smashing it on to a hard surface or hitting it with a spike, MIPS uses computer algorithms to replicate and predict the response of a helmet to physical impact.
They say it is a faster and more efficient process, allowing manufacturers to bring safe helmets to market faster and cheaper.
“Our 20-plus years of research and simulating real-world accidents has led us to this groundbreaking way to test helmets,” he says.
“We are committed to lead the world to safer helmets and at the same time help to improve the development process for helmet brands.
“This is the way forward, and in a near future we will be able to test all different kinds of helmets according to leading standards, all in the name of consumer safety.”
MIPS say their virtual testing service will currently certify helmets to Europe’s ECE 22.06 standard which is accepted throughout the world, including Australia and New Zealand.
The fluid pods act like a liquid pillow surrounding your brain to protect it from damage in a crash.
Norway is removing wire rope barriers from a six-kilometre stretch of road near the capital of Oslo in a win for motorcyclist safety.
Riders have long regarded the roadside barriers as a danger.
The auditor’s report found there was no evidence to support the claimed safety benefits for motorcyclists and scooter riders.
It also found Victoria’s WRB rollout was almost $100m over budget, over time and under-maintained.
Australian rider groups have long called for the rollout of wire rope barriers to be halted.
In the wake of the Norwegian move, Motorcycle Riders Association of Australia spokesman Damien Codognotto has written to Victorian MPs calling for the barriers to be removed.
He says wire rope barriers are a deadly threat to bicycle, scooter and motorcycle riders.
“They say there’s no evidence to suggest wire rope barriers are more hazardous than other roadside, or centre-of-road treatments, which is why they are used all over the world, he says.
“Victorians road users know wire rope barriers are very dangerous. Victorians who ride overseas know that no country uses as much wire rope barrier as Victoria. Some countries have banned it. Some are pulling it out. Some are not replacing it.”
He disputes claims that wire rope barrier saves lives in the majority of car crash incidents.
The MRAA has called for a search of video and photo sources including Youtube, dashcam.com and media libraries for images of crashes involving wire rope barriers to see how many perform as promoted by Road Safety Victoria, formerly VicRoads.
The internationally awarded MotoCAP safety and thermal comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing has added 15 more items to its list of tested gear.
It has now rated 186 items of clothing, including 50 pairs of pants, 90 jackets and 46 pairs of gloves.
Safety and comfort
Macna Vosges Nighteye
Of the newly rated jackets, two were leather which scored two stars for safety. All the others were textile and scored just one star for safety except the Alpinestars T-Core Air Drystar and Macna Vosges Nighteye which scored two stars.
The best of the newly added jackets for beating the current heatwave was the $500 Spidi Ventamax (top image on this page) which scored three stars for thermal comfort. The others scored from half a star to two stars.
Best of the newly rated pants are the Bull-It Covert Blue which scored two stars for safety and three for comfort and the BMW City denim trousers which only scored one safety star but four for comfort.
MotoCAP gives clothing two separate star ratings – one for protection and one for heat management or comfort.
Clothing manufacturers’ advertising is not an extremely useful resource for protection in a crash or from the extremes of an Australian summer.
Australian Motorcycle CouncilProtective Clothing sub-committee chair Brian Woodpoints out that MotoCAP tests the whole garment, unlike European Protective Clothing Standards which only tests samples of fabrics, fastenings and stitching.
“(It) gives the motorcycle community more information when they are making choices about the clothing they wear when riding,” he says.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
Testing is carried out by the Deakin University Institute for Frontier Materials on behalf of the MotoCAP partners.
The family of Jody McDonald-Spurdle, last seen riding his black 2012Harley-Davidson XL883 Sportster near Tin Can Bay, Queensland, on Friday (20 December 2019), hold grave concerns for his safety.
Queensland Police are now seeking public assistance to find the 51-year-old man of Toolara Road, Tin Can Bay.
His family say he suffers from a medical condition.
Cody was last seen wearing a black MZR open face motor cycle helmet, blue T-shirt, grey jeans and black leather motorcycle boots. The number plate on his Sportster is 191PQ.
A similar 2012 Sportser
If you have any information for the police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24 hours a day.
You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.
In a rare coincidence he was found by a fellow rider who crashed on the same corner.
We sincerely hope Jody hasn’t met with similar consequences.
These incidents are examples of why riders should always tell someone where they are going and carry a charged-up phone or other tracking device so they can be located.
(Pando Moto jeans review by contributor James Wawne)
Is it worth the extra expense to get the single-layer Dyneema jeans from Pando Moto over their Cordura jeans with Kevlar patches?
We think so.
Dyneema is a Dutch invention which blends the abrasion-resistant material into a single-layer denim that meets the toughest CE standards for protection without the need for a separate layer.
The fabric is claimed to provide the same protection as leather (about 3.7 seconds of abrasion resistance), and will keep you cooler and more comfortable; but it is typically a bit more expensive.
As a Brit, currently feeling the Aussie summer heat, I believe that the Steel Black jeans are worth the extra money for the ‘cool-comfort-factor’ alone! They really are very comfortable indeed.
Safety
Steel Black has Dyneema throughotu
Karl Desert has Kevlar patches
I felt more comfortable knowing that there are no zones without protection as the Dyneema is woven throughout the jeans fabric.
I could ride with more focus as there was no distraction which can come from uncomfortable gear.
These jeans are also cooler than the pair I previously tested and well suited for warmer climate riding, I am not sure how they would perform on a cold day in London (most days) but it would be possible to wear them over some thermals if that was an issue.
I tested them in 30-35 degrees and they were very comfortable. They are quite light and feel just like a regular pair of jeans even when combined with the CE-approved hip and knee armour*.
*The armour is noticeable for the first 5 minutes or so when you first put them on, but when they are warmed up by you body heat, they become softer and barely noticeable.
The hip inserts don’t have velcro at the top of the pocket to keep them in place like the other jeans – below.
However, when wearing them, the pad is pressed against your body so it doesn’t move out of position. The only a minor issue when you take them off as they can fall out which is annoying.
Another safety feature is the reflective strips on the inside of the pants so they reflect headlights when the cuffs are turned up – as with the other pair tested – a nice innovation.
Handy pants
Apart from the usual jeans pockets, the Steel Black slim jeans have a small gum/key pocket which I found handy.
Another handy item is the round clip ring on the buckle to clip on your keys or hang your sunglasses from when wandering around road side cafes.
Styling
I’m reasonably slim and the jeans fit well, if you are more of a pie eater then they might not fit as size range is limited for the larger waist owner (max 36 inches).
These jeans could pass for smart casual and worn out to dinner without looking out of place.
The jeans are well made, but I did notice some white specs here and there where the Dyneema weave shows through. However, the fabric hasn’t deteriorated so it must just be part of the weave.
Pando Moto Jean Specs Quick list:
Classic slim fit cut
Dark navy color (almost black).
Made of single layer stretch 25% Dyneema® 13 oz (15 times stronger than steel, 1800 protection).
It has high heat conductivity, reflects the heat.
CE officially approved PPE under EN 17092, level AA (speed 70 km/h).
2 position knee armor pockets.
KNOX® Micro Lock CE approved (EN1621-1:2012) knee armor INCLUDED.
Hip armor – optional (not included).
Reflective cuffs for safety ride.
Made in Europe.
About Pando Moto
Pando Moto produce a range of men and women’s jeans (and other clothing) to meet your needs – unless your waist is above 36 inches (which is as large as their range goes).
Their jeans are designed to achieve decent levels of safety, while also being comfortable and stylish.
The company was founded in Lithuania in 2011 and position themselves as a “premium motorcycle clothing brand”.
Their marketing ‘bumph’ says they “use the very latest in textile technologies with urban riding culture along with European standards EN 17092 (PROTECTION ZONING SYSTEM)”.
You can check them out and find more information on their website
MotoCAP has rated six more jackets to reach 150 safety and thermal comfort ratings for jackets, pants and gloves, including only their second women’s jacket.
The world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing began in August last year.
It has now rated 150 items of clothing, including 41 pairs of pants, 47 pairs of gloves and now 62 jackets, including their second women’s jacket.
While some claim the ratings system is flawed, it at least now has a decent amount of clothing rated and provides a guide for buyers.
Women’s jackets
Macna Freeride
Dainese Mike Lady jacket
The first women’s jacket was the Dainese Mike Lady jacket which only joined the list last August.
It scored a protection rating of three out of five stars while this round the women’s Macna Freeride textile jacket scored only one star.
However, it rated three out of five stars for thermal comfort.
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation in New Zealand.
MotoCAP has published the safety ratings on 13 pairs of leather gloves ranging from half a star to four stars, but has not released any comfort ratings.
In the latest round of testing, the highest performing gloves are the Rev’It RSR 3 unisex gloves which received a four-star rating.
One pair of Alpinestars gloves (pictured top of page) rated three stars, DriRider and Merlin rated two stars, six rated one star and three rated half a star.
The world’s first safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing provides comfort ratings for thermal comfort and waterproofing on jackets and pants, but not gloves.
That is despite some of the gloves tested having perforations for airflow.
However, three pairs of gloves were tested and rated for water resistance because they were advertised as having this feature.
The highest performing pair are the DriRider Apex 2 unisex gloves, which received a score of eight out of ten for water resistance.
MotoCAP ratings
A dummy dressed in riding gear is tested for abrasion resistance
MotoCAP has now tested 31 textile and leather jackets, 18 pairs of jeans and leggings, seven pair of leather pants, one pair of textile pants and 26 pairs of gloves.
Deakin Uni Institute for Frontier Materials Senior Research Fellow and Honda GB400 rider Chris Hurren says the site will have 150 clothing products on its site by the end of June.
“We have purposely targeted only 10% of the market in the first year so that manufacturers have a chance to come along with the scheme,” he says.
“We do not want to put a manufacturer out of business as we want them to improve their products and think about protection and thermal comfort in their design.”
“If they follow this path like car manufacturers did for ANCAP then the rider will always be the winner.”
So far, no article of motorcycle clothing has been provided by a manufacturer.
All have been bought by MotoCAP using a secretive buying system to guarantee integrity.
Macna Vosges Nighteye
