In the majority of the investigated accidents, the motorcyclist is still riding his bike while hitting the barrier. A substantial part of the accidents take place on straight roads. In the most severe fatal accidents, the motorcyclist is caught by the barrier. Most common are of course injuries to legs and feet, but severe head, chest and body injuries are found in the fatal accident cases too. The barrier posts are of great influence in most accidents. Based on the observed accidents, Sweden ought to reduce the use of barriers where parts of the posts face the traffic in front of the longitudinal cross railing member of the barrier, regardless of what is stipulated in EN1317-2 and draft EN1317-8. By the same judgment, posts protruding above the horizontal cross railing member or otherwise exposing sharp top edges ought to be, from a crash safety point of view, banned. Any MPS2 fulfilling the requirements of the draft EN1317-8, soon to be on 'CEN technical enquiry', would most certainly not alter the outcome of any of the investigated accidents. In total 15 accidents are reported, of those 7 fatal. Concerning wire rope barriers 7 accidents were detected, 2 of them fatal. On beam barriers 5 accidents are recorded, of them 3 fatal. Or 2 fatalities, if another disease is allowed to be removed from the overall counting. One accident is on a concrete median barrier, and it is most probably not the barrier that causes the fatality but the lighting column mounted on top of the barrier. Of the 15 accidents, 12 are on EN1317-2-approved barrier types. In two cases the motorcyclist is intoxicated by alcohol. (Author/publisher) This report may be accessed by Internet users at http://www.vti.se/templates/Report____2797.aspx?reportid=16972
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