Validation of the principles of injury risk zones for motorcycle protective clothing

INTRODUCTION: The distributions of motorcycle crash impacts and injuries were compared to the four impact risk zones and protective performance specified in the European Standard for motorcycle clothing (EN 13595). METHODS: Crashed motorcyclists' (n=117) injuries and clothing damage were categorized by body area into the four risk zones. Three levels of protection were defined: protective clothing with impact protection, protective clothing only and non-protective clothing. RESULTS: The distribution of impact/injury sites corresponded to the predictions of EN 13595, with the proportion of all injuries decreasing from 43.9% in Zone 1, to 18.0%, 16.7%, and 11.5% in Zones 2 to 4, respectively. Protective clothing modified the distribution of injuries with substantially more injuries (OR=2.69, 95% CL: 20.1-3.59) at unprotected impact sites. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: These findings support an appropriate framework for determining performance specifications for the manufacture of motorcycle clothing that will effectively reduce the risk of injury in crashes.