Safety barrier protection for motorcyclists

Moves are being made to develop barrier protection for motorcyclists. Many public highway authorities take little note of motorcycle riders at present, considering them a small minority and assuming that any additional safety measures will be costly and provide little gain in saving lives. In spite of this narrow minded attitude, some manufacturers have recognised that niche opportunities exist to improve safety levels for powered two wheeler users through developing innovative new products. Italian barrier
March 9, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
There are numerous products on the market designed to reduce the risk of motorcyclists impacting with barrier supports

Moves are being made to develop barrier protection for motorcyclists

Many public highway authorities take little note of motorcycle riders at present, considering them a small minority and assuming that any additional safety measures will be costly and provide little gain in saving lives. In spite of this narrow minded attitude, some manufacturers have recognised that niche opportunities exist to improve safety levels for powered two wheeler users through developing innovative new products. Italian barrier specialist SCT is the latest firms to reveal it is working on products aimed at increasing safety for motorcycle riders. The company will be releasing details of these products shortly, along with information on new terminal units.

In this respect SCT is following earlier moves made by Italian rival 333 Snoline which developed its DR46 plastic crash cushion as a solution for improving the safety of motorcycle riders in known risk areas. The DR46 has been on the market for some time now and is being proven in several trial installations in Italy and elsewhere around Europe. More recently, a crash curtain system developed by Spanish firm 2846 Basyc has also been introduced to address safety for motorcycle riders.

Both the Snoline and Basyc products provide protection to a fallen rider, preventing the sudden impacts with the support posts used to hold up steel barriers that can cause serious trauma and fatalities. Instead, these systems ensure that the rider slides alongside the barrier, reducing the risk of sudden impact injuries. The products are markedly different and Snoline's DR46 is a hollow plastic design that cushions the impact and which can be attached to virtually any type of steel barrier. The Basyc system is simpler and is basically a curtain made from a strong and durable material that is attached to the steel barrier. Again, this can be fitted to any type of steel barrier according to the manufacturer.

However, there are shortcomings in current European legislation and these are hampering widespread introduction of these innovative safety devices. Only Spain at present has a requirement for protecting motorcyclists and even this is comparatively limited. Moves are being made in Europe to develop new safety standards and requirements for barriers that are 'motorcyclist friendly', although it will be some time before these are ready.

Mass market

Meanwhile an array of new barrier concepts aimed at more conventional applications is now coming to market.
Vehicle containment issues are increasingly moving up the political agenda as the need for road safety improvements become apparent. It seems likely that many of these new products will be used widely across the road networks of North America and Western Europe, as well as in the improving highway systems of Eastern Europe. With the Chinese highway network growing at a ferocious rate and the authorities becoming aware of the need to maximise road safety, it seems likely that all the major barrier manufacturers will benefit
Road Markings, Barriers & Workzone Protection

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Working towards safer India mobility...
    July 18, 2012
    Sibylle Rupprecht, IRF-GPC Director General, looks towards sound mobility management at the 3rd Regional Conference of the International Road Federation 3rd-4th October 2008 in New Delhi, India More than 1.2 million deaths and 23 million injuries are caused by road accidents worldwide every year. Of these, India accounts for 10% of fatal accidents. These alarming figures were disclosed by the speakers at the 3rd Regional IRF Conference on 'Mobility and Safety in Road Transport' to some 250 engineers and exp
    Read More
  • UK Roads Crash Demo Day is a Big Hit
    July 19, 2012
    Representatives from local authorities, the police, and the highway safety-related business world attended last month’s UK Roads Crash Demonstration Day at MIRA near Nuneaton, in central England. Guy Woodford reports It was never meant to be an occasion for crash test dummies. And each of the latest road safety solutions from leading highway technology companies tested at the UK Roads Crash Demonstration Day passed with top marks. A crowd of over 100 enjoyed the high impact, minimum damage action.
    Read More
  • Five roads of the future – cutting transport costs
    June 10, 2019
    Advances in road design and construction will deliver cost savings In the past 50 years there have been huge advancements in the automobile industry but the roads we drive on remain nearly unchanged. As cars get smarter so too should the infrastructure that supports them. Our planet is covered in roads. And by 2050 our global network of highways is projected to increase by 60%. Volvo Construction Equipment takes a look at possible technologies for the roads of the future, looking at some innovations
    Read More
  • UN sets global target for road safety
    October 21, 2015
    The UN has set a global benchmark for reducing traffic fatalities on the world’s road network. Data shows that every year, almost 1.3 million people are killed in road crashes around the globe, according to information gathered by the World Health Organisation (WHO). In a bid to tackle this major problem, world leaders recently vowed to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020. This target was agreed at the UN Sustainable Development Summit in New York.
    Read More

Highlighted Content