Testing of two different motorcycle garments with integrated airbag in real crash conditions

With regards to passive safety several investigations have been carried out with the aim of incorporating airbag systems within motorcycle garments for riders. The requirements of a system designed to protect a professional rider in the context of a race track differ greatly from those of the average rider within the context of an urban environment. In the first scenario the most likely type of incident involves falling and sliding off the track, while in the latter, it is a collision with a vehicle or an obstacle. For this reason two different prototypes of garments with embedded airbags have been developed and tested. In this paper the outcome of two real life tests on race track, together with a real impact between a scooter and a car are presented and discussed. A leather suit equipped with an airbag worn by a professional rider and an airbag jacket fitted to a dummy have been respectively tested. The objective of this study is to show the possibility of a successful implementation of such technology within future motorcycle rider equipment, with the long term objective of a more integrated safety solution.