Feb 23 2009
Maximum Clothing Protection for Motorcyclists
The use of protective clothing can protect a motorcycle rider in the case of a crash. Most riders wear helmets and clothing to protect their upper body but are less likely to wear motorcycle pants. The clothing does little to protect in a high impact crash but most motorcycle accidents do not occur at high speeds. American and Australian protection standards are limited to helmets unlike European standards, which are more stringent. In Europe motorcycle riders are expected to wear protective clothing, this give manufacturers a standard by which they develop protective clothing.
Motorcyclist clothing protects them injury in case of a crash, protects them from the weather, draws attention to the rider increasing their visibility, and can be used as statement of style. Studies show that injured riders wearing leathers spent 7 days less in the hospital and went back to work earlier than unprotected riders. Motorcycle accidents involve a rider sliding or tumbling on the road surface.
Beside protecting the rider from heat stress, cold stress and wet stress, the most notable advantage of wearing gloves is protecting the hands in the event of crash. The gloves offer carbon fiber knuckles protection and the wrists of the gloves are also protective in the case of shear related damage.
Motorcyclists suits are designed to protect the most vunerable zones of the body including the front knee, elbows and shoulders. It is important that these areas of the suit are manufactured to assist in the case of a high impact.
Motorcycle boots are often made using reinforced materials with hardened plastic caps being positioned around the toe and ankle areas. So as the rider can rest his or hers boot on the foot pegs, many are also designed with a heel. As well as being strong, the boots need to be very flexible and oil resistant.
Motorcycle helmets are universally recommended for riders to protect the head from injury in the case of a crash. The helmet has two layers for crash protection. The first layer is hard and absorbs the energy from the impact and the second layer or the inside layer is often made out of foam to cushion the skull and the brain in case of an impact.
Correctly fitting motorcycle clothing is important as it is designed to protect certain regions of the body. If the clothing is found to be lose, then it could move and therefore not provide the protection is was designed for, possibly causing more damage than actual protection.
There are many motorcycle clothing designers such as Dainese and Alpinestarts that are a statement of style and at the same time being highly rated safety gear by many riders.
Before stepping out for a motorcycle ride, riders should make sure they suit up to prevent themselves from injury. Studies show that well suited riders have a better chance of surviving and recovering from a crash.
