HORSE-RIDERS “BETTER INFORMED ON HEAD PROTECTION THAN BIKERS” SAY IAM EXPERTS
06 June 2004 - Institute of Advanced Motorcyclists

Horse-riders have better information on the head protection available to them than motorcyclists,despite smaller numbers and far fewer accidents.

That was the message at a motorcyclists conference held by the IAM recently. More than 150 IAM delegates heard that British Equestrian Federation has a helmet assessment programme that provides far more consumer information than anything available to bikers.

IAM staff examiner Jon Taylor pointed out that in Europe in 2002, there were nearly 5000
motorcyclists killed or seriously injured (ksi).
“More than 75 per cent of motorcyclist deaths or serious injuries involve head injuries of some sort.
The DfT is now overseeing a workshop dealing with helmet issues but a lot needs to be done if
targets for casualty reduction are to be met,” said Jon.

As well as being a Motorcycle Staff Examiner and current motorcycle examiner with the IAM, Jon is
also a Class One police certificate holder for both cars and bikes.

“The IAM rightly puts emphasis on defensive riding and avoiding collisions, but there is only so much
that hazard-aware bikers can do. When it comes to the crunch, as it were, we all end up relying on
external protection.”

“I was surprised to find that horse riders have a wealth of information regarding the standard of hats
and helmets available to them – but that there is no real equivalent for motorcycle riders.
“Jokey ears on the side are not so funny if you come off a bike. I am sure many riders are unaware that they can actually increase the injuries received by increasing the likelihood of rotation on impact with the road,” said Mr Taylor.

“This can directly effect injuries to the neck and brain due to increased rotational forces. Head impact energy is proportional to head impact speed and improving the performance of the helmet lining has a large effect on reducing injuries to the brain. A 24 per cent improvement in the absorption qualities of the lining will result in a 30 per cent reduction of AIS 5-6 injuries - that is, serious or fatal.”

However a 30 per cent improvement to the lining will bring about a 50 per cent reduction in injuries, he said. “Reducing fatal and serious head injuries by 20 per cent is now a UK national road safety target and this would go a long way to meeting those aims.”

“We all need to be better informed about the helmet we are choosing to buy,” said Mr Taylor. “The adoption of the EuroNCAP scheme star rating for motorcyclists’ helmets would help greatly in this regard. You would finally be able to choose your helmet based on its ability to protect you.
Something that is currently missing, unless you are a horse-rider that is!”

www.iam.org.uk

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