Traditional roadside crash barriers represent a serious danger to motorcyclists and should be redesigned according to the IAM. Between eight and sixteen per cent of rider fatalities are attributed to hitting a barrier.
Drivers and passengers in cars benefit from the way the barriers are designed to direct cars away from hazards and stop quickly. However, the protection depends on a car's seatbelts and airbags to minimise injury. On a motorcycle, the rider's body takes the full force of the impact. As a result, bikers are fifteen times more likely to be killed than car occupants.
IAM chairman Alistair Cheyne OBE, writing in the summer issue of the IAM members' magazine, 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."
Cheyne praised Britain's general road safety performance but added that guidelines for roadside infrastructure must take account of the needs of motorcyclists.
John Lambert - 1 Aug 2012