Tag Archives: safety

News

Helmet still crash tested in Australia

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Motorcycle helmets are still being crash tested in Australia despite European-standard helmets being available here for several years because they provide riders with “more information”.

The NSW Consumer Rating and Assessment of Safety Helmets (CRASH) crash-tests 30 helmets a year and releases the details every November.

Centre for Road Safety active executive director Craig Moran says that while all helmets sold here meet either Australian Standards or global standard UNECE 22.05, CRASH ratings “give riders more information so they can chose the best helmet for their situation”.

Helmets tested

CRASH has tested 34 full-face helmets since 2017 and 1012 pre-2017, 17 open face helmets since 2017 and 35 prior and nine dual-purpose helmets since 2017 and 23 prior.

It is not as comprehensive as the similar British SHARP helmet safety scheme. It has tested and rated hundreds of helmets, almost all of which are now available for sale in Australia.

“The helmets are chosen based a number of criteria including their approximate number of sales or popularity or if the consortium identifies a particular helmet as requiring further performance testing,” Craig says. 

“Helmets are proven to reduce the severity of head injuries as well as the likelihood of death and disability.

Helmet still crash tested in Australia
CRASH testing

“We also recently launched MotoCAP which is a consumer information program designed to provide riders with scientifically-based information about the protection and comfort of a range of motorcycle jackets, pants and gloves available in Australia and New Zealand.”

CRASH is run by a consortium of NSW government agencies and Swann Insurance.

It assesses and compares motorcycle helmets in terms of their ability to protect the wearer’s head in a crash and how comfortable the helmet is to wear.

Click here for more information about CRASH testing procedures.

Last year we assessed helmet ratings from CRASH and SHARP to assess whether price correlates with safety.

We found some surprising results! Click here for the full story.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

News

Rider leggings get poor safety ratings

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The world’s first motorcycle clothing safety ratings program, MotoCAP, has given just half a star each to three sets of rider leggings and mixed reviews on gloves.

MotoCAP launched in September with ratings for 10 leather jackets and 10 pairs of rider jeans.

Last month they added ratings for 10 textile jackets which rated lower than the leather jackets on safety.

MotoCAP has set a target of testing 10% of available jackets, pants and gloves in its first year of operation.

Leggings tested

BulliIt Fury Jeggings leggings
BulliIt Fury Jeggings

So far, no women’s jackets or pants had been tested, but now they have tested three pairs of women’s leggings.

The Bull-It, Draggin and Oxford leggings rate just half a star for safety out of five.

The Draggin Stealthz leggings also rated half a star for comfort, while the Oxford Super Leggings rated three and a full five stars for the Bull-It Fury SP120 Lite Jeggings.

Click here for the full ratings for all pants.

Gloves tested

Ducati Corse C3 gloves leggings
Ducati Corse C3 gloves

Finally gloves have been tested with a mixed range of results.

Ducati Corse C3 gloves received maximum protection ratings, while Macna Catch Mesh and DriRider Air Ride scored just one star.

No ratings were given for comfort.

Four stars went to Harley-Davidson Circuit waterproof and Alpinestars SP-2, three to Ixon RS Rallye HP and Five Gloves Sportcity and two stars to Dainese Mig C2.

Testing target

Motocap Motorcycle clothing rating system launched target
MotoCAP testing equipment

In October, a Transport for NSW spokesman told us leather pants are also being tested.

When MotoCAP was launched, the motorcycle clothing industry was not invited to pay for testing to guarantee independence.

The gear was bought anonymously from stores and local online outlets.

However, MotoCAP has invited companies to submit products for ratings and pay a low fee to cover testing.

Motocap Motorcycle clothing rating system launched testing

It is not yet known if these new items were randomly selected or provided by distributors.

Companies can voluntarily advertise their rating using the MotoCAP logo.

MotoCAP is a not-for-profit organisation in partnership with the following: from NSW – Transport for NSW, SIRA and the NRMA; from Victoria – VicRoads, TAC and RACV; from South Australia – DPTI, MAC and RAA; from Queensland – TMR and RACQ; from Western Australia – the Western Australian Road Safety Commission; plus the Australian Motorcycle Council and the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation.

The Transport for NSW spokesperson says MotoCAP is designed to “reduce road trauma and injury severity for motorcyclists” by informing riders of their choices.

“It is hoped this will be achieved by raising consumer awareness of, and demand for, better protective clothing, and manufacturers and suppliers will respond to that demand,” he said.

“The MotoCAP rating system will be continually monitored and feedback will be considered to identify any improvements that can be made.”

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com