Secondary safety is concerned with minimisation of injuries in accidents. The main problem here is the wide range of possible outcomes of a two-wheeler accident, including the complex possibilities for the sequence of motion of both rider and motorcycle, and the relevant injury mechanisms. The results and mechanisms are considerably different from those occurring in car accidents. Thus it is not possible to transfer directly to motorcycles those safety improvements that have been beneficial for cars. Instead, the passive safety elements of motorcycles must be developed separately, allowing for the specific features of two-wheeler accidents. Injury patterns are considered in relation to accident mechanisms; here, the main kinematic types of collisions are: (1) frontal collisions, where the motorcycle drives into a car; (2) side collisions, where a car drives into the side of a motorcycle; and (3) oblique collisions between a motorcycle and a car. General safety considerations, motorcycle air bags, and leg protection measures such as knee-pads are discussed in relation to the first two types of collision. There is also a brief discussion of solo accidents, where the motorcyclist has no contact with any other road user, and usually ends up at the roadside, with injuries depending on the obstacles encountered.
Samenvatting