Skip to main content

Swedish motorcycle test

In Sweden crash testing has been carried out using motorcycles for the first time. Four crash tests were carried out at the VTI crash laboratory in Linköping, Sweden, for the client, the insurance company Folksam. As a result, Swedish motorcyclists can expect safer barriers according to VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Insitute. The VTI have participated in two different projects with focus on better safety for motorcyclists. The first project was run in cooperation with the Swedish Mo
November 10, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
In Sweden crash testing has been carried out using motorcycles for the first time. Four crash tests were carried out at the 7264 VTI crash laboratory in Linköping, Sweden, for the client, the insurance company Folksam. As a result, Swedish motorcyclists can expect safer barriers according to VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Insitute.

The VTI have participated in two different projects with focus on better safety for motorcyclists. The first project was run in cooperation with the Swedish Motorcyclists Association (SMC) and the Swedish parapet and barrier association (SVBRF). This studied existing literature to describe state-of-the art in motorcycle to barrier crash interaction. In the second project, initiated by Folksam, four full-scale crash tests on barriers with different kinds of protection was executed.

The joint result from these two projects opened a possibility to run a final crash test with a simple prototype of a plastic cover to shield the sharp edge on the top of the barrier. According to VTI, this prototype will help reduce injuries to motorcyclists in the event of an impact. In the various tests, different kinds of motorcycle protection systems were installed on a traditional W-beam and sigma post barriers.

The cover will let the motorcyclist slide along the barrier instead of getting stuck, lowering the severity of injuries.

The positive outcome is all about covering sharp edges and protruding parts, including the posts of the barrier. The plastic tube is a cheap and simple way of demonstrating a principle but it is yet not a finished product according to VTI.
The VTI crash laboratory is an accredited test facility for the EN1317 European test procedure for barriers. Being part of the international work with the procedure research engineer at the VTI crash laboratory, Jan Wenäll, will bring this experience to the ongoing development of an additional procedure for motorcyclists addition to the same procedure.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Gomaco smooth the way for new NY State concrete highway
    April 2, 2014
    When New York State Thruway wanted to experiment with unbonded concrete overlays, they chose an 8km, four-lane section of Interstate 90 near Hamburg as their test section. Surianello General Concrete, based in Buffalo, New York, won the bid to pave the 22.9cm thick concrete overlay. The age and the design of the original roadway created a major paving challenge. It was built in the 1950s and didn’t conform to current geometry requirements for superhighways. “They built it with a standard crown sectio
  • TISPOL: drink driving continues to be a pan-European concern
    January 18, 2016
    Drink-drive enforcement still has issues in Europe, according to pan-European police body TISPOL Drink-driving is the cause of around 5,000 road deaths in Europe. In the UK alone, it is estimated that 230 (14%) of the country’s 1,713 road deaths are due to drinking and driving. For England, Wales and Northern Ireland the limit for driving is still 80mg (0.8) of alcohol/100ml of blood. Scotland reduced its limit to 50mg (0.5) of alcohol/100ml of blood in December 2014, bringing it into line with most
  • Asphalt milling optimised by 3D controls
    February 20, 2012
    3D machine controls can optimise milling efficiency, Mike Woof reports. More efficient milling and recycling operations can be carried out by using the latest 3D control systems on the market. At the last Trimble Dimensions event in Las Vegas, the advantages of 3D controls for milling operations proved a key topic. The use of 3D control systems can offer huge advantages in milling operations. This technology helps increase productivity as the milling machine will only remove what is required, which also hel
  • Surface quality a key trend in asphalt paving
    March 7, 2012
    Improved surface quality and improved machine design are key trends in the asphalt paving sector, Mike Woof reports There is a big difference in asphalt paving techniques in North America and Europe. In North America, the need to construct long stretches of highway quickly resulted in wide pavers offering high throughput capacity, with compaction equipment then being used to achieve the required density of the various courses. In Europe's highway construction projects, distances tend to be shorter and contr