Motorcyclists To Get Wearable Airbags 515
jonerik writes "For the past hundred years or so motorcycle accidents have had an unfortunate potential for particularly horrific injuries, or worse. Improvements in safety gear have certainly been made in the past few decades, but in some ways those improvements have been balanced out by the tremendous speeds that modern bikes are capable of. According to this article from ABC News, though, Dainese, a protective sports clothing maker in Vicenza, Italy has developed a wearable airbag vest - called the D-Air - designed to cushion riders in the event of an accident. The D-Air vest features a tiny electronic computer referred to as the STM (which stands for Sensing, Triggering, and Memory), which was developed by an Israeli company called Merhav APP. According to the article, the STM contains sensors that monitor the bike's physical motion. 'The sensors onboard the STM will watch for telltale signs -- such as a sudden deceleration force of about ten times that of gravity -- that precede a collision. Once the computer determines an impending accident, the STM blasts the data to receiver in the vest to start the inflation process.'
This site also features some pictures of the D-Air vest in action. Dainese plans to begin selling the D-Air vest in Europe in the spring, though American sales will have to wait since the U.S. Department of Transportation has yet to set standards for such a device."
Ouch! (Score:5, Insightful)
Great... (Score:4, Insightful)
Why not just put a protective steel cage around your motorcycle, and another 2 wheels to increase stability? It would be so much safer!
Useless (Score:1, Insightful)
In the U.S. at least, the "potential for horrific injuries" is far more closely related to the fact that a disproportionate number of motorcycle accidents involve alcohol. In Illinois, for example, last year's IDOT fatality stats had more than 10% with a staggering BAC of over
How about more education, less trying to protect riders from the fact that motorcycling actually requires some training, experience and skill?
Re:Ouch! (Score:5, Insightful)
An airbag inflator has the power of a hand granade. I would not like to carry such as device too close to the body. Also, what happens if I would wear a packpack, or have someone on join me on the bike (sitting behind me).
This device may look right, but how many lives will it save compared to those it take. Also, how do you dispose an explosive jacket, or take it with out on an aircraft. I'd say that this is probably a publicity stunt, and not really a life saver as airbags in cars are, but thats just MHO.
Motorcycle injuries (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:High side v. low side - Safety is additive (Score:5, Insightful)
Probably not at all. This might be of use to specific types of accidents, including collisions (thrown over the handlebars) and high-sides (bike falls toward the outside of a turn, throwing the rider clear). Low-sides, where the bike falls toward the inside of a turn, generally leaves the rider on the bike or perhaps following behind the bike. Good riding gear such as leather or ballistic nylon with closed-cell foam armor cushioning hips, elbows, etc. do a very good job of protecting riders from this type of accident already.
All that aside, as the AMA rep points out in the article, collision avoidance needs to be the focus. No matter what happens, motorcycle accidents are going to involve a high risk of injury. I'd bet that you can put an 8-year-old child in the driver's seat of a Ford Excursion, buckle their seatbelt, and tell them to push down on the pedal on the right... and they'd have even-money odds of coming out uninjured. Skills don't enter as much into the picture in a "cage" (motorcyclist-speak for a 4-wheel vehicle).
Rider education, and technology that enhances control (ABS, better suspension like the BMW Telelever/Paralever), and rider education are the types of things that will reduce rider injuries. Yes, I put rider education in there twice on purpose, it's the most important.
Thud! Death! .... inflate. (Score:1, Insightful)
> times that of gravity -- that precede a collision
Isn't it a bit late by then? Surely you don't decelerate until you're hitting something.
Re:Probably need lots more testing/experience. (Score:2, Insightful)
I'll pass thanks (Score:3, Insightful)
Thanks, I'll pass. When I ride my FZR600, I wear heavy leather gloves, massive leather jacket (along with a spine brace), two pairs of pants (inner one are jeans, outer: leather) and a full helmet.
When I flipped my FZR once and was thrown off, the only thing bruised was my pride (and all the expensive fiberglas on the bike.)
If I want hand grenades attached to my jacket, I'll join the military.
Important Safety Rule For Motorcycle Riders (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:What even happened to the honda idea? (Score:2, Insightful)
On the other hand I would also suggest investing in technology to prevent accidents from happening as well as in damage reducing gear. We can build the electronics to accomplish this in planes, why not in cars&bikes?
Like, for instance, hundreds of hours of intensive full time operator training?
I can just see it. (Score:5, Insightful)
And your arm will be hanging from that tree...
And your head will be there by the curb...
But your torso will be in a remarkably preserved state!
Re:I love government regulation (Score:4, Insightful)
Or, how many would be injured or die due to use of a "safety" device not properly tested and evaluated, which may introduce other, more serious problems. Even though "It seemed like a good idea at the time".
These things may be the best prevention device going. Or, they may compound the problems in a crash. Causing the rider to tumble instead of slide, inadvertant activations, too much force resulting in broken ribs, compatibility with other user worn articles (backpacks, etc), and on and on.
Just because it looks like a good idea doesn't mean it is a good idea.
Re:Biking stories ... sniff (Score:5, Insightful)
Bullsh*t. It's called self-control. I ride quickly on the open roads, as do all my friends, but that doesn't mean we ride at 100MPH+ on the streets. That's what track days are for.
I'm sorry, but you and your friends were nothing more than squids who took stupid risks, and paid the price. Personal responsibility, buster. It's just like people who choose to ride without a helmet, in shorts and a set of flip flops on a bike that can do 200MPH. Yeah, there's using your noggin.
Darwinian evolution. Get out of the gene pool.
Re:High side v. low side (Score:3, Insightful)
The air-bag type vest that more than a few different companies are working on is for accidents usually involving bike hitting car/truck or other immovable object.
10g decceleration does not happen when rider low-sides, and rarely when you high-side (until body hits ground).
The battle bikers face is visibility and respect from car/truck drivers. This device will help, in some circumstances.
Re:Preceding a collision?!?! (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Motorcycle injuries (Score:2, Insightful)
There is a great deal of armor out there that works well, especially the C2, high-impact rated plastics for racing. I know what I trust from personal experience.
What isn't a good idea is bouncing along after getting thrown off the bike. Good leather abrasion helps bring you to a halt. On the other hand, this suit would have you bounding like a ball down the highway. You are more likely to snap limbs or run into obstacles the further you bounce
Think about throwing a sandbag across the ground vs. a rubber ball.
Re:Ouch! (Score:5, Insightful)
Airbags, much like ABS brakes and anything else used in cars are only partially effective, and only when used right. In many circumstances people have walked away from rather non-fatal collisions with broken jaws, ribs, and being partially or completely blinded.
Having spoken with a biker (sitting in the next room from me. ;) ) he agrees that this vest is highly impractical. When you're launched from your bike, you keep your appendages close to your body and roll, similar to how paratroopers roll on landing to reduce the stress on your body. Also, they have to be able (barring physical injury) to get up and walk away, so as to prevent them from being flattened by passing cars (who tend to pay so much attention to the wreck they'd hit the broad side of a barn if it were planted in front of them). This vest looks like it has serious potential to create a situation faced by Ralphie's brother in "A Christmas Story". (Think 'big snow suit', and 'can't move')
Much as I hate to abuse a cliche; the best life saver in all these cases is education. Motorcyclists have to observe proper safety precautions, and cars have to be told that no, you can NOT share a lane space with a motorcycle, and that while they're not as big, they're considered the same as a car when it comes to road usage. There are many statistics about how motorcyclists have been faulted as the cause of collisions, but I'd be willilng to bet that most of those have been indirectly (or directly) caused by the car, or other surrounding motorists (I'm not including those plastic, 20lb "sport" bikes, because the guys who drive those seem to have a death wish).
If people don't use safety devices properly, they have this habit of backfiring and causing death or injury, rather than the desired prevention. Take my above example of ABS brakes; people have started to become complacent, believing that ABS will reduce their stopping distance, so they drive faster towards intersections and brake later. What they don't realize is that ABS actually increases your stopping distance. I can only imagine how the bikers have felt watching a car speed towards them at 80KM/h while they sat stopped at a light, often behind another car.
Chevrolet (and perhaps all of General Motors, I'm not sure) has apparently decided to make ABS once again an optional, rather than standard feature in their new product lines. I only wish I'd had that option for my '95 Cavalier.
Unfortunately, my usual opinion of 'Remove the safety labels/devices and let the stupid take care of themselves' doesn't apply here. The drivers of cars would cream motorcycles, and innocent (and perhaps highly intelligent) bikers would be dead, while drivers of cars would walk away.
How about this - retroactive corporal punishment for any driver who causes an accident due to stupidity (which includes not paying attention, driving while tired, intoxicated, being distracted by cell phones, kids, oral sex from the passenger seat, etc.)? What we do is break their ankles on a cinder block, much like in Misery, and then revoke their drivers license for five years with mandatory driver training in order to get it back. That is, of course, if their ankles are fit to operate the pedals. ;)
Re:High side v. low side (Score:2, Insightful)
Motorcycle low sides can kill you if you slide into something - a friend died that way. And you can come down very, very hard - I recently went down at around 100kph - I was slammed into the ground pretty hard prior to sliding about 30m - totalled the bike, severe cracks in the front section of my helmet (did its job well, didn't even feel my head impact with the ground).
False sense of security (Score:2, Insightful)
Improvements in safety gear have certainly been made in the past few decades, but in some ways those improvements have been balanced out by the tremendous speeds that modern bikes are capable of.
Capable of, indeed. However, there is hardly ever any need to use this power and go 300kph. As a motorcyclist-in-creation (read: taking lessons right now) I don't always understand the need for these immense speeds. I apreciate the accelerating power of the bike (no car can keep up with you after a traffic light) and that you can often squeeze through a narrow gap where a car simply cannot goi. Going 120 kph (75 mph) on the highway is certainly thrilling, but I would rather drive at a speed I feel comfortable with than going to the edge of what is technically and humanly possible.
But to get back to my point: cars have become a lot 'safer' with ABS, airbags (unless you smoke), wrinkle zones (unless you have long legs), side bars (unless you do end up in an accident and rescue workers spend 30 minutes cutting through them; time you are trapped in your vehicle), and drivers seem to rely on these gadgets, rather than actually paying attention to their driving style. Thus, they tend to drive more dangerously.
With this airbag, something similarly may happen to motorcylcists. However, when you go at 200 kph, no amount of airbag is going to save you if you hit something streaight on or glide under the 'egg-slicer' guidance rails at the side of the road. So folks, learn to control your right hand first (that's the gashandle, before you get any funny ideas :-)) and *watch out*. Rule number 1 while driving a motorcycle is to be smarter and more observant than the other users on the road and avoid dangerous situations.
Re:Doubtful... (Score:4, Insightful)
I agree, but I'll add something.
The biggest problem with motorcycle accidents is spinal cord and head injuries, which this device will do nothing to prevent. All other types of injuries commonly associated with motorcycle accidents are very survivable (road rash, bruises, the occasional broken bone, etc...).
I remember a few years ago, someone came out with a motorcycle seatbelt which could be retrofitted to a motorcycle. Not surprisingly, very few bought the idea. The reason is simple: it is fairly common for motorcycles to "come out from under" a rider; slick asphalt or gravel, a flat tire, or locking either wheel while braking will cause a motorcycle to fall over, and most riders would rather ditch the bike than be dragged along with it. (motorcycles will slide on the pavement much farther than the rider.) Once again, we have a device which inspires little confidence in its safety because:
-
The number of accidents in which this device would protect the rider is relatively small, and the degree of protection is relatively minor - the road rash and bruises this device would prevent are relatively insignificant compared to the spinal cord and head injuries feared by the safety-conscious riders.
- The possibility of this complicating injuries in an accident is relatively large.
This is the kind of device which is invented by technicians wearing lab coats, rather than real riders. Most riders are open to safety enhancements, however, the nature of motorcycle riding dictates that different methods of safety be used. In cars, ejection of passengers results in injuries more often than not; with motorcycles, it's just the opposite - many motorcyclists (myself included) are still alive today because they separated themselves from the bike before or during an impending accident. While airbags and seatbelts may increase the safety of automobiles, they have the opposite effect in motorcycles - they tend to complicate injuries while offering very little in the way of accident protection.It's better than nothing! (Score:2, Insightful)
I don't even want to think of the damage to your arms when you bounce around in that thing. It wouldn't have helped the 2 minor newbie accidents I had sliding the bike.
The real shame is the gov... (Score:2, Insightful)
This seems like a waste of time... (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Ouch! (Score:5, Insightful)
Think about the classic car/bike accident where the imbecile car driver turns in front of the bike, which then hits the side of the car at full speed. I know of several people who would be walking today if they'd been wearing an airbag like this that fixates the head and neck upon impact. I'm a physiotherapist, I meet a lot of the ones who don't die on impact.
I'm walking today becase I was 17 when some prick did it to me, and I had reflexes like a cat. And I was LUCKY. He drove into me, and I managed to clear the hood of the car before impact.
One millisecond too slow and my left leg would have been a bag of smashed bone chips, an infinitely preferable arrangement to the head and spinal cord injuries I've seen, belive me. Even if they have to cut off your whole fucking leg, you can still wipe your own ass.
So don't be too quick to dismiss the good old airbag. Anything that adds armor to the neck and head is good. I'd wear it.
This is just the begining too. Once they get this perfected they can start on the lower trunk and limbs. Progress!
10 gs *preceding* a collision? (Score:2, Insightful)
Um, if you are pulling 10gs, you have already hit something.
I had a relatively low-speed accident a few years back, a combination of a limited-visibility off-ramp with a bad drop-off and a stationary pickup truck pulling a garden trailer. Missed the truck and trailer but heavy breaking made me dump the bike, or tossed me: There's some missing time of a few seconds. Broke the left foot peg mount, with my foot on it. Landed on asphalt with the left side of my body, primarily top and side of the head, shoulder, left forearm, left thigh, and both hands.
Injuries: Bruises and soreness.
Why: Full-face helmet prevented serious head injury (at best road rash on my face). Leather jacket saved about 8 sq. in. of skin on my shoulder. Leather gloves saved the skin on my palms. Leather boots with steel toes probably prevented a broken foot. Jeans sucked up just enough to save my skin on my legs, just barely (some extremely minor abrasions).
After checking out myself and the bike, I rode it to work (with 5th gear only), got a ride to the doctor's office for some x-rays, then later rode the bike home.
I'd consider wearing body armor, but not an air bag. That's just silly.