SAFER CRASH BARRIERS FOR MOTORCYCLISTS
16 May 2005 - Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme

FEMA has recently set up a Working Group to continue the work undertaken by the Federation in Europe and its affiliated organisations at national level, with the aim of making crash barriers'' systems safer for motorcyclists.

In 2000, the Federation of European Motorcyclists'' Associations (FEMA) published the final report of the ''Motorcyclists & Crash Barriers'' project. This project developed recommendations to road authorities for reducing injuries to motorcyclists in collision with crash barriers. The project was supported by the Directorate General for Energy and Transport of the European Commission. Since the report was published, several FEMA national member organisations have been working with road authorities on improving existing crash barriers and adapting them to the needs of motorcyclists. But there are still difficulties and obstacles that
motorcyclists'' organisations encounter.

FEMA has now formed a Working Group on crash barriers, consisting of representatives of FEMA member organisations from Norway, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. This Working Group will make an inventory of existing motorcyclist-friendly crash barrier projects all over Europe, using information and data provided by all 22 FEMA member organisations.

After collecting all this information the FEMA Working Group will produce a document that can function as lobbying tool for riders'' right organisations in their own country and in Europe. This document, that will include conclusions and recommendations, is expected to be finalised in June 2005. The main goal of the lobbying actions by motorcyclists will be to get motorcycles included in the European standard for testing crash barriers. This will force national road authorities to enhance motorcyclists'' safety by improving crash barriers'' designs.

The picture shows the members of the Working Group in front of a motorcyclist-friendly crash barrier in the Netherlands (from left to right): Wim Taal - MAG Netherlands, Trevor Baird - MAG United Kingdom and Morten Hansen - NMCU Norway.

www.fim.ch

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