Motorcycle protective clothing: fashion or function

This is a report on a project to identify the features of effective motorcycle protective
clothing and develop a process to ensure riders are able to make informed purchasing
choices.
While clothing cannot prevent serious high impact injuries, there is evidence that perhaps
half of all motorcycle injuries could have been reduced or prevented by the use of
effective protective clothing.
Research based on crash investigation, injury studies and engineering has established
standards for the features of effective motorcycle protective clothing. It has also provided
objective tests as a means of verifying the protective performance of such clothing,
however, this information has not filtered through to consumers nor been taken up by
manufacturers.
Surveys indicated that riders’ choice of clothing does not reflect awareness of the patterns
of injury risk that are well known to researchers. Independent consumer tests in Europe
have revealed that much of the clothing currently available will not provide the expected
level of protection from injury in a crash.
While the standards for motorcycle protective clothing are only in force in Europe, their
development has implication for the industry world wide. This presented an opportunity
to encourage the local Australian motorcycle industry to develop a product safety
assurance system for motorcycle clothing in order to remain competitive with European
imports. The aim was to achieve a higher standard of protective clothing, consumer
confidence and hence increased usage by riders who can be assured it is fit for the
purpose.