Air bag vests are personal safety devices worn by motorcyclists. These innovative protective garments use inflatable technology to reduce injuries during accidents.
How Air Bag Vests Work
Inflation Mechanism Activates Upon Impact
Air bag vests inflate rapidly when a rider falls. For horse riders, a tether connects the vest to the saddle. When the rider separates from the horse, the tether pulls and triggers a CO2 canister, inflating the vest in 100-250 milliseconds. Motorcycle versions use sensors and algorithms to detect crashes and deploy the airbag before impact.
Advanced Technology Enhances Protection
Modern motorcycle air bags employ accelerometers, gyroscopes, and GPS to analyze rider movements. An onboard computer predicts crashes and inflates the airbag pre-impact. Research shows inflation speed is critical for safety, with electronic systems outperforming tethered ones in some scenarios.
Effectiveness and Safety Benefits
Significant Injury Reduction for Equestrians
Studies by the British Transport Research Laboratory found air bag vests improved protection by 69% when worn with standard vests. They reduced rib fracture and organ damage risks by 20%. Tests showed over 55% reduction in chest compression compared to unprotected falls.
Limited But Valuable Protection for Motorcyclists
Independent research indicates motorcycle air bags provide significant impact protection, but mainly at speeds under 30 mph. A 2019 study by Thierry Serre et al. found airbag jackets offer protection in impacts around 30-40 km/h, varying by crash configuration.
Adoption and Regulations
Mandatory in Professional Racing
Since 2018, airbag systems have been compulsory in all classes of the FIM MotoGP World Championship. This mandate highlights their recognized safety benefits at the highest levels of motorcycle racing.
Emerging Standards for Safety Certification
The European Committee for Standardization created the EN 1621-4 standard for motorcycle airbags in 2013. It specifies minimum requirements for inflation speed, duration, volume, and impact absorption. However, research suggests current standards may have limitations and may not fully address the complexities of real-world crashes.
Ongoing Developments and Challenges
Addressing Unmet Protection Needs
While air bag vests offer torso protection, they don’t address all injury risks. Lower limb injuries remain common in motorcycle accidents. Some companies are exploring airbag-equipped jeans, but these don’t protect the lower leg and foot – areas frequently injured in crashes.
Expanding to New Applications
Innovations continue, with companies like Airoh and Autoliv developing airbag-equipped helmets. This shows the potential for airbag technology to enhance safety in various aspects of motorcycle gear.
Air bag vests represent a significant advancement in rider safety, offering proven protection in certain scenarios. As technology evolves, we can expect further improvements in their effectiveness and range of applications.
Citations:
The air bag vest is a personal safety device worn by some motorcyclists and horse riders. Airbag vests initially found popularity among equestrian competitors, and airbags have become mandatory in professional motorcycle racing. In 2018, it became compulsory across all classes within the FIM MotoGP World Championship for riders’ race suits to be fitted with airbag systems.
In horse riding, the device is worn over a standard padded vest and is automatically inflated by gas released from a carbon dioxide canister when a tether attached to the horse's saddle is extended during a fall.
While early motorcycle vests followed this approach, the technology has advanced: modern systems use a set of onboard sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope and GPS) that analyze the motorcyclist's movements . An onboard computer uses this sensor data to predict the start of a crash and inflate the airbag before the rider hits the ground or a hard object. Germany's ADAC tested these systems and found that the speed of detection and inflation mattered. More comprehensive research by Ballester et al. also found that the speed of inflation was critical for safety, with tethered systems too slow to inflate in some accident scenarios.
Electronic airbags – either integrated into the motorcyclist's jacket or worn over it – have started to become more common among regular riders on the street. Manufacturers of electronic systems include In&Motion, Alpinestars, Helite (E-Turtle) and Dainese.