The injury reduction benefits of motorcycle protective clothing

An Australian survey of riders indicates that, while most riders fully protect their head and upper body, they are less likely to wear motorcycle pants or boots. This is despite long established patterns of injury risk confirming that the legs are the part of the body most likely to be injured in a motorcycle crash. Although protective clothing cannot prevent injuries in a high impact crash, most motorcycle crashes do not occur at high speed. There is now evidence that perhaps half of all motorcycle injuries are relatively minor soft tissue injuries, which could be reduced or prevented by the use of effective protective clothing. Well designed motorcycle clothing may also reduce the risk of crashes related to fatigue and distraction caused by heat, cold or wet stress and discomfort. The essential features of effective protective clothing are well established and there are mandatory standards in Europe for any clothing purporting to provide injury protection. The standards provide manufacturers with a single bench mark and objective tests that can verify the protective performance of their products. The need for such standards is demonstrated by independent consumer evaluations applying the standards tests, which have revealed serious levels of failure in many of the products available in the European market. If the use of protective clothing is to be encouraged, road safety authorities and the motorcycle accessories industry need to devise a means of assuring riders that products will provide the expected benefits. The motorcycle industry operates in an international market and the adoption of the European Standards as international standards could provide an effective means to ensure such products are fit for the intended purpose.