Australia – New South Wales – Motorcycle clothing rated for a safe ride – The motorcycle clothing rating from Australia has been in the pipeline for a while and we reported on its existence previously. Now the first findings have been launched.
The Australian Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program (MotoCAP) is similar to the star rating scheme for motorcycle helmets in the UK SHARP (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme) where the SHARP scheme aids motorcyclists to make an informed choice when buying a helmet.
MotoCAP is run by a consortium of government agencies, private organisations and motorcycle stakeholders.
“The Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program (MotoCAP) gives clothing separate star ratings for protection and comfort. The protection rating considers performance in abrasion resistance, seam strength and impact protection. The comfort rating is based on how comfortable the clothing is when worn in the Australian climate.”
“The right motorcycle equipment can reduce the likelihood of permanent injuries from a crash and shorten hospital recovery times. It can also allow motorcyclists to enjoy a more comfortable ride, with less distraction, fatigue and dehydration.”
Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight Melinda Pavey said the MotoCAP is the first of its kind, and aims to give the motorcycle community more information when making choices about the clothing they wear while riding.
“This is why Transport for NSW’s Centre for Road Safety collaborated with State Insurance Regulatory Authority, Insurance Australia Group and the Australian Motorcycle Council as well as other agencies and motoring organisations around Australia and New Zealand, to develop the system and test the gear,” Mrs Pavey said.
For now, ten leather jackets and ten pairs of denim pants have been tested. The Calibre jacket by Rjays scored highest with five stars; the Triumph Hero Riding pants scored four stars. Denim pants by Neojeans, Harley Davidson, Rjays and Rev’It were given four stars for comfort.
It is possible to stay up to date with the latest ratings by subscribing to receive MotoCAP news and notifications as new products are rated by MotoCAP or visit the website www.motocap.com.au to read through the “Frequently Asked Questions” which should answer everything e.g. What is tested in the protection rating? Will wearing five-star rated gear prevent me from getting injured? or How does MotoCAP compare with the European Standard? which states:
“MotoCAP uses the same tests as those used in the current European Standards EN 13595-1:2002, EN 13594: 2002 and EN 1621-1:2012. While the current European standards use a simple pass/fail criteria, MotoCAP uses the actual test scores to scale star ratings so that consumers can make an informed decision by comparing similar products on their performance.”
“MotoCAP is unique in also providing a thermal comfort rating, which is not included in the European standards for motorcycle protective clothing, but will help riders find clothing that is suited to our climate and riding conditions.”
You can also view how the MotoCAP safety ratings assess how well garments: jackets and pants, protect a motorcyclist in a crash, based on impact protection, burst resistance and abrasion resistance while for helmets in Australia these can be found on the CRASH website – crash.org.au While boots are not included in the initial roll out of MotoCAP they may be tested in the future.
With a specific page that advises riders what to look for when purchasing motorcycle jackets and pants, you can be literally dressed for ride with the world’s first safety ratings system for motorcycle clothing providing scientifically-based information on comfort and protection!
Original Sources – Motorcycle clothing rated for a safe ride – www.motocap.com.au
Interesting report – Stars or Standards? – A review of motorcycle protective clothing from the southern hemisphere – 2018 1.48mb
“There is plenty of advice to be found in general terms, but when it comes to the performance of individual products the picture is less clear. Are those £150 gloves really safer than a £50 pair, or are you just paying for a product that has the look of racing kit but not the performance?
Hence, we were very interested to hear of the initiative in Australia to develop a star-rating system for protective clothing for motorcyclists. Therefore, we have commissioned this short report from Dr Liz de Rome, who sets out some of the issues about the choice between absolute standards and relative ratings that have been weighed down-under.
It will be interesting to see how Australia’s biking consumers react to this still relatively new initiative.
In the meantime, remember that the best safety kit is only going to work to best effect if you choose the right fit and remember to wear it.
Steve Gooding
Director, RAC Foundation”
New MotoCAP safety ratings
Keeping up with MotoCAP clothing ratings from Australia, the latest MotoCAP safety ratings have been released online.
MotoCAP has published new ratings for 8 textile riding jackets. Unlike the leather jackets already rated for MotoCAP, none of the textile jackets scored more than 2 stars for comfort or safety.
As MotoCAP has only recently been launched, we expect that better gear with higher ratings will become available as industry responds to the demand of informed consumers.
The new ratings can be viewed on the MotoCAP website
MotoCAP is a partnership between Transport for NSW, State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA), VicRoads, Transport Accident Commission (TAC), Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), Lifetime Support Authority (LSA), Motor Accident Commission of South Australia (MAC), Western Australian Police: Road Safety Commission, Department of State Growth, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Australian Motorcycle Council and Accident Compensation Corporation.