Motorcycle protective clothing: Are stars better than standards?
(2007) Motorcycle protective clothing: Are stars better than standards?. In Proceedings 2007 Australasian Road Safety Research, Education and Policy Conference, Melbourne, Australia.
Full text available as: |
Abstract
Little information is available to Australian riders regarding the likely level of protection provided by different brands and types of protective clothing. Australian manufacturers and importers are not subject to any mandatory standards in relation to protective clothing except for helmets. This paper presents the results of the first stage of investigating the possibility of developing a model for a safety 'star rating' system for protective clothing. Later stages are proposed to include a market research study and a research study into the feasibility of implementing a 'star rating' system for protective clothing. It is considered that mandatory standards such as those in Europe are unlikely to bring about a marked improvement in motorcycle protective clothing without substantial allocation of resources to enforcement of the standard which has not occurred in Europe and is unlikely to occur in Australia. Therefore two models for a star rating system are proposed: a voluntary star rating system and a system in which the accrediting body purchases and tests garments and publishes the safety ratings (analogous to the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP)). It is proposed that a star rating would be based on safety performance, weather protection and ergonomic performance. One of the issues to be addressed in the next stage of this research is whether the star rating should be presented as an overall score, or whether riders should be provided with the star ratings for the individual criteria. If an overall star rating was chosen, then how the results from the different tests were combined would need to be considered.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper |
|---|---|
| RM Number: | 2008002170 |
| Status: | Published |
| Subjects: | 350000 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 350400 Transportation > 350405 Road and Rail Transportation 360000 Policy and Political Science 320000 Medical and Health Sciences > 321200 Public Health and Health Services > 321206 Preventive Medicine 290000 Engineering and Technology > 290300 Manufacturing Engineering > 290306 Textile Technology 350000 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services > 350200 Business and Management > 350210 Quality Management |
| ID Code: | 12949 |
| Deposited By: | Schnyder, Anthony J. |
| Deposited On: | 10 March 2008 |
| Alternative Locations: | http://www.roadsafetyconference2007.com.au |
| Copyright Owner: | Copyright 2007 (please consult author) |
| Additional Information: | The contents of this conference can be freely accessed online via the conference's web page (see hypertext link). Author affiliations: Narelle Haworth (Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety - Queensland); Liz de Rome (LdeR Consulting Pty Ltd); Paul Varnsverry (PVA Technical File Services); Peter Rowden (Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety - Queensland) |