PROTECTING MOTORCYCLISTS FROM HEAD INJURY

Although great progress has been made in other areas of motorcycle safety, such as in the introduction of automatic  braking systems (ABS), progress in passive safety has been less visible. The PHPS-enabled LAZER SuperSkin helmet represents a significant step forward.

All conventional helmets provide protection by reducing the severity of injury from linear forces, by cushioning the blow and spreading it over a larger area of energy-absorbing material. The protection comes from the hard outer shell and the padded inner cushioning. Together these absorb and diffuse a proportion of the energy caused by the direct linear impact on the skull.

The PHPS aims to address the other major part of the problem, by reducing the rotational effects of a blow to the head, and thus reducing its effects on the brain inside.

Motorcycle riders are at significant risk of head injury through a motor vehicle accident. The most extensive Europe-wide study into motorcycle accidents, their causes and the resulting injuries was the COST 327 report, which indicated that 4700 riders die on average per year. Over 60% of these deaths are the result of rotational injuries.

Head injuries occur in 80% of all motorcyclist fatalities and in 70% of these the head injury is the most serious of all the injuries. According to the latest statistics from the Department for Transport (DfT), despite significant efforts to reduce road accident injuries and fatalities over the past few years, the injury and fatality rates for motorcyclists are not falling.

The latest figures available show that in 2007 the number of injuries to motorcyclists rose slightly on the previous year, the only category of road user for whom this was true. Overall the 'Killed & Seriously Injured' rate for motorcyclists remains the highest of all road users and they remain one of the most vulnerable road user groups. The DfT also estimates that fatality rates per passenger or rider on a motorbike are around 40 to 60 times greater than the equivalent rate for car users.  (Department for Transport Road Casualties Great Britain: 2007 Annual Report).

PHPS sets a new de facto standard for advanced helmet design. There are currently two motorcycle helmet approval standards in use in the UK - BS 6658:1985 and UN ECE Regulation 22.05. More information about motorcycle helmet regulation and safety standards can be found by contacting SHARP the government helmet safety scheme.