Italian Police Motorcycle Riders Protected by Dainese D-Air Street Airbag

Safety gear manufacturer Dainese, renown for being the first to bring the airbag safety technology to motorcycle racers and now street riders, has teamed up with the Italian Traffic Police. It looks like members of the motorcycle escort will be kept safe by the company’s D-AIr Street i.p.s. ((Intelligent Protection System), the air bag for motorcycle riders.

The revolutionary system will be available at the end of this year after 10 years of development by D-tec (Dainese Technology Center).

Fifteen police officers from the Giro d'Italia 2011 motorcycle escort will be the first to be equipped with the D-air Street system, and will be assisted by Dainese technicians in recording and checking data during the various stages of the race.

The system has been developed through the experience gained with the D-air Racing system, designed for use on the racetrack, which is currently used by Valentino Rossi, Marco Simoncelli and many other champions.

“The Traffic Police wish to thank Dainese for having provided our motorcycle riders with a state-of-the-art protection system. We hope this will encourage all motorcyclists to use suitable protections, with the start of the warm weather and the motorcycle riding season and, as always, to respect the rules of the road," stated Roberto Sgalla, Traffic Police Director.

"The level of safety of pilots is much higher today than in my racing days. We had very thin suits that split as soon as you touched the ground. The first thing I asked Dainese for was a suit made with thicker leather, which made it heavier but offered much greater protection. With Dainese we studied how to make it comfortable while riding a motorcycle in racing position. These suits were then produced for all motorcycle riders, just as is happening now with the D-air, the air bag designed for races that will soon be available for all riders. With the right pilots and companies, competitions can be of great help to improve road safety," said Giacomo Agostini, a spokesman for safety back in the 1960s.

“I have been using the D-air since 2007; I was the first pilot to fall with it on the track; I hold the record, although I'm not sure if it's positive or not… I understood just how important it is when I fell in Malaysia during the 2010 tests. I would normally have broken my collarbone or shoulder with a fall like that, but instead I was able to get back on my bike and take part in the race without any problem. The D-air is really something – since trying it the first time I have never again ridden a bike without it," said MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli, who uses the D-Air system.