Motorcycle-Barrier Impacts

Various stages of this project have been jointly funded by the Centre for Road safety from the former Roads and Traffic Authority (Stages 1 to 3) now Transport for NSW, the NSW Motor Accidents Authority MAA (Stage 1), NZ Transport Agency (Stages 1 to 3), The Australian Automobile Association (Stages 1 to 3), West Australia Main Roads Office of Road Safety (Stages 1 to 4) and the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation ACC (Stage 4). This project has investigated and characterised motorcycle into barrier impacts, fatalities and injuries associated with such impacts and determined what are the survivability envelopes in such crashes for W-beam, concrete barriers and barrier posts so far. Reports indicate how to reduce the injuries resulting from such crashes utilising innovative injury mitigating engineered systems. Engineered systems such as rub rails and padding have so far been assessed (Stage 4) in terms of the human-structure biomechanical interaction during a crash. Strategies and cost benefit analyses in regards to installation of such barriers have been explored and recommendations for changes to the AS/NZS 3845 (Australian/ New Zealand) Road Safety Barrier Systems and Devices standard are presented in the Stage 4 report.


Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers - Stage 1 Research Report (Stage1_report.pdf)
This report presents the results of Stage 1 of the Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers research project. Stage 1 determined the crash characteristics and causal factors of motorcyclist fatalities in Australia and New Zealand between 2001 and 2006, when a roadside safety barrier was involved in the crash. The report highlights how infrequent such crashes are (5.4% of all motorcycle fatalities) and that fatalities of motorcyclists involving impact with a roadside barrier predominantly involved steel W beams (73%). The study also highlighted that rider behaviour plays a significant role in motorcyclist fatalities into roadside barriers and that crashes occur predominantly on recreational rides. Alcohol, drugs and speed or a combination of any or all three, were a factor in 2 out of 3 fatal barrier crashes in Australia and New Zealand.

Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers - Stage 2 Research Report (Stage2_report.pdf)
This report presents the results of Stage 2 of the Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers research project. Stage 2 investigates the crash mechanics and injury causation of motorcyclist fatalities in Australia and New Zealand between 2001 and 2006, when a roadside safety barrier was involved in the crash. Half of the riders slid into the barriers whereas half impacted the barrier in an upright crash posture, and around half of those impacting the barrier upright slid along the top of the barrier. The mean pre-crash speed and impact angle were found to be around 100km/h and 15° respectively. The thorax region was found to have the highest incidence of maximum injury in fatal motorcycle-barrier crashes, followed by the head region. It was recommended that potential thorax chest injury criteria be added to the current European crash test protocol and that an upright impact test be developed for future changes to the AS/NZS 3845 (Australian/ New Zealand) Road Safety Barrier Systems and Devices standard.

Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers - Stage 3 Research Report (Stage3_report.pdf)
This report presents the results of Stage 3 of the Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers research project. Stage 3 involves a survivability analysis of motorcyclists colliding with roadside barriers, and other types of fixed roadside objects, based on US crash data. The study concluded that while motorcycle crashes into roadside barriers are rare, the placement of a roadside barrier of any type in front of a hazard such as a tree and pole has been found to significantly reduce the risk of serious injury and fatalities for motorcyclists compared to striking the fixed object. A short literature review of the effect of barrier modifications on motorcyclist injuries is also presented in an Appendix B.

Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers - Stage 4 Research Report (Stage4_report.pdf)
This report presents the results of Stage 4 of the Motorcycle Crashes into Roadside Barriers research project. This Stage was funded by the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation ACC with contributing funds from the West Australia Main Roads Office of Road Safety. Stage 4 assesses how sliding motorcyclists can be better protected in collisions with W-beam barriers, with a focus on computer simulations using a human body computer model (THUMS) of motorcyclist impacting protection devices for W-beam (e.g. rub-rails) and other barriers with exposed posts (e.g. post paddings), in order to better understand their injury mitigation potential. Assessment of potential injuries to motorcyclists when impacting concrete barriers has also been investigated. In particular, the study provides the engineering evidence that rub-rail systems provide substantial reductions in injury potential for motorcyclists, in the case of a motorcyclist sliding impact into typical W-beam barriers installed in New Zealand and Australia. Moreover, the report recommends installation of such systems in black spot areas regularly frequented by motorcyclists, i.e. coastal and mountainous tourist roads, providing the greatest benefit to riders.

 
Journal and Conference Publications Relevant to Road Safety Barriers and Motorcyclist Safety