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Airbags for Bilkers (Motorcycle Airbags AND personal airbag
protection jackets):
Airbag Devices Entry from Wikipedia
Fuel tank mounted airbags as well as wearable jacket airbag devices
change the way we think about the risks involved with motorcycles.
Accidents occur within a very short time and a rider may not be able to
instinctively protect him or herself when a crash takes place. This is
where an airbag device becomes useful and lifesaving.
The first motorcycle crash tests with an airbag were performed in 1973
and proved that airbag systems could be advantageous to a rider. These
tests were followed up by tests in the 1990s that showed airbag devices
could not fully restrain a rider when traveling more than 30 mph, but it
still reduced a rider’s velocity and his/her trajectory. Honda has
recently developed a fuel tank mounted airbag for the Goldwing model
that takes just 0.15 seconds to deploy. Crash sensors in the front wheel
send data to the airbag ECU (electronic control unit) which in turn
activates the airbag inflator. The airbag then takes the force of the
rider.
Fuel tank mounted airbags can aid in saving many lives. It has been
proven with crash test dummies that this type of airbag technology is
very beneficial during a frontal collision. This is important because
statistically, 62% of motorcycle accidents in the U.S. are frontal
collisions. Additional tests were performed to show that when a
motorcycle rider impacts a car during a frontal collision, the fuel tank
mounted airbag averts the person from traveling into the vehicle. This
significantly reduced the head trauma by 83% that otherwise would have
occurred according to the data from the crash test dummy. A rider would
have lived with an airbag, whereas the fatality rate would be higher
without the airbag. It has also been pointed out that this can only work
if the accident is at low speed and follows the same dynamics as a car
accident. It should be viewed as passenger vehicle airbags - a
worthwhile supplement, but not as a replacement for any other safety
devices.
The second airbag device that can save lives is an inflatable airbag
jacket. A rider can wear an airbag jacket that is tethered to the
motorcycle, so if he or she is thrown from the bike during a collision,
the jacket will automatically inflate for a 20 second period to provide
a cushion for the rider. This will lessen the upper body and internal
injuries to a rider that may often be fatal. The majority of the airbag
jackets on the market are tethered to the motorcycle, but Dainese has a
technology called D-Air which has a built-in computer chip. This
computer chip constantly detects the rider’s environment and if it
detects a collision, the jacket will then self-inflate. Hit Air, the
maker of another airbag jacket, performed tests on its jacket which
showed that its safety effectiveness surpassed that of a normal riding
jacket or a jacket with extra padding protection. The airbag jackets
provide reusable airbag protection to the neck, chest, back, shoulders,
hips, bottom and spine. Cost of airbag jackets are approx $US500.
As demand for safety measures increases, so the need for motorcycle
airbags may grow in popularity over the coming years. Yamaha and Suzuki
are currently testing airbag systems, so they will be available on
additional motorcycles and so that more people will request airbag
devices more often. This airbag technology is very affordable when you
look at the “big picture”. According to Honda’s web site, the Goldwing
model motorcycle currently retails for US$23,099 and the airbag is only
an additional US$1,250 option.
According to the data from the crash test dummies, a motorcycle rider’s
life would be saved if he or she would use one of these airbag devices.
This should change the way we look at the risks associated with a
motorcycle. With the advances in this technology, it may be possible to
apply this knowledge to produce airbags for jet-skis, ATVs, and
go-karts.
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Impact Jacket, Airbag Jacket Saves A Life: Motorcycle Accident -
Post Chronicle
Gizmodo.com
Impact Jacket, Airbag Jacket Saves A Life: Motorcycle
Accident
Post Chronicle - Oct
15, 2007
by Jack Ryan Joseph McPhatter is alive today -
thanks to his impact jack, or airbag jacket, that saved his
life after he crashed his motorcycle. ...
Impact Jackets (AKA Wearable Airbags) Finally
M...
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Airbag Jacket for Bikers - Technocrat.net
Airbag Jacket for Bikers
Technocrat.net, MA -
Oct 16, 2007
In a first "real world" test, a motorcyclist is
alive today most likely from wearing an inflatable jacket that
worked when he got into a nasty wreck. ...
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More info on Motorcycle/Biker
Airbag Jacket |
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