We all know that Motorbike is an inherently dangerous sport and yet we continue doing something we love. Its always a good idea to know about your adversaries before going into a battle, simply because then you will have a greater chance of winning. In our case surviving.
Lets, talk about the Bone injuries first. A good pictorial chart below by Del Rosario.
Motorcyclists who are thrown from their bikes often suffer life-altering neck and back injuries. If you sustained a neck or back injury because of a motorcycle accident, you may experience chronic pain and temporary or permanent disability. The term “paralysis” refers to the loss of muscle function and a loss of sensation in one or more areas of the body. The violence of a collision between a car and a motorcycle often leaves motorcyclists with catastrophic spinal cord injuries like paralysis, paraplegia or quadriplegia.
The below graphical representation shows the distribution of Impact zone. Note that the Head, foot and palm region are Zone 1 and require maximum impact protection.
See What parts of your body should you protect? for the injury risk zone diagram.
Is the material used appropriate for each zone?
- Zone 1 is the area of the most frequent impacts. Are there impact protectors in each Zone 1 area– that is at the knees, hips, elbows and shoulders?
- Are all Zone 1 and Zone 2 areas well protected with high abrasion resistant materials? The minimum requirement under the EU standard is for 4 seconds abrasion resistance. Multiple layers may be more effective than a single layer of extra thick leather.
- Zone 3 is a moderate risk area and should have abrasion resistant material. The EU standard requires a minimum of 1.8 seconds abrasion resistance.
- Zone 4 is a relatively low risk area. The material here can provide ventilation and elasticity, however it should still have some abrasion resistance qualities. The EU standard requires a minimum of 1 second abrasion resistance, where as ordinary denim jeans only provide 0.6 seconds.
The website of Motorcycle Council of NSW Australia shows more details about the statistics of injuries caused in these areas, you can click the dots and see the details.
The chances of injuring your head, elbow and knee regions is more than 50% each, so wearing a good quality helmet along with full elbow protection and knee protection is a must. Riding boots and gloves save from 25% injuries.
Hope this post helped you to understand the importance of riding gears.
Ride Safe.
Further readings
- Advice for choosing Jackets and Pants from Motorcycle Council NSW Australia.
- A Beginners guide to Motorcycle gear by Rideapart
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