Photo: brianspears.wordpress.com
It seems that despite the fact that riding a motorbike is a lot more dangerous than merely driving a car, matters are made worse by improperly designed guardrails.
Apparently, according to autoexpress.co.uk, the UK Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) has decreed that guardrails on the side of the road are extremely dangerous for bikers, which are 15 times more likely to die in the event of a collision with one of these guardrails, as they apparently make riders’ injuries worse by a factor of five.
The solution seems to be the installation of ‘secondary rails’, specifically designed to provide a much less dangerous impact with a rider’s body, in the event of a crash. Alistair Cheyne, Chairman of the IAM said : “Roads in general and crash barriers in particular are largely designed with four or more wheels in mind. The needs of more vulnerable motorcyclists must become a priority [. . .] Britain leads the world on road safety, but lags behind on this issue. Existing standards and guidelines for road infrastructure – and barriers in particular – must be changed so they take proper account of motorcyclists.”
The solution seems to be the installation of ‘secondary rails’, specifically designed to provide a much less dangerous impact with a rider’s body, in the event of a crash. Alistair Cheyne, Chairman of the IAM said : “Roads in general and crash barriers in particular are largely designed with four or more wheels in mind. The needs of more vulnerable motorcyclists must become a priority [. . .] Britain leads the world on road safety, but lags behind on this issue. Existing standards and guidelines for road infrastructure – and barriers in particular – must be changed so they take proper account of motorcyclists.”
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