Research finds plastic-covered barriers aid motorcyclist safety

Tests carried out by 7264 VTI, the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, involving motorcycles and crash barriers have shown that a plastic covering on the sharp edge at the top of the barrier can help save the lives of motorcyclists.

VTI participated in two different projects with a focus on enhanced safety for motorcyclists.

The first project, in cooperation with the Swedish Motorcyclists Association and the Swedish Parapet and Barrier Association, studied existing literature on state-of-the art technology in motorcycle to barrier crash interaction.

The second project, initiated by insurance company Folksam, carried out four full scale crash tests on barriers with different types of protection.

The joint outcome from the two projects resulted in a final crash test using a simple prototype plastic cover on the sharp edge on the top of the barrier, with excellent results, according to VTI. It claims that covering the sharp edges and protruding pars of the barrier, including the posts, can help to reduce the impact on a motorcyclist.

Jan Wenäll, research engineer at the VTI crash laboratory, says “Even though this is just a very plain prototype, I am of the opinion that this is the very first time that we really have a functional idea on how to effectively reduce motorcyclists’ injuries in the event of an impact. Still dangerous, but to a lesser extent, this will let the motorcyclist slide along the barrier instead of getting stuck.”