Australia – CRASH helmet ratings are now published on the MotoCAP website
CRASH safety ratings are now published on the MotoCAP website, providing safety ratings for motorcycle helmets, including 30 newly released ratings.
MotoCAP – the Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program 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.
Further information from MotoCAP states that they use 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 abrasion test in the current European standard EN 17092 uses a simple pass/fail criterion, MotoCAP uses the actual test scores to scale star ratings so that consumers can make an informed decision by comparing similar products on their relative performance.
MotoCAP is unique in also providing a thermal comfort rating, which is not included in the European standards for protective motorcycle clothing, but will help riders find clothing that is suited to our climate and riding conditions.
CRASH – The Consumer Rating and Assessment of Safety Helmets is a consortium of Transport for New South Wales (NSW), Transport Accident Commission and Insurance Australia Group, test 30 helmets each year against a range of criteria.
The criteria includes that the helmet must have adequate impact performance, they must remain on the wearer’s head during the crash, while assessing and comparing motorcycle helmets in terms of their ability to protect the wearer’s head in a crash and how comfortable the helmet is to wear, before awarding a star rating out of five for each criteria.
MotoCap say that, “There are a large range of good performing helmets to suit different styles of riding. In the latest results, nine helmets out of the 30 tested achieved a four-star crash protection safety rating.”
These helmet ratings were previously published on a standalone website, the MotoCAP and CRASH partners have agreed to publish these ratings on motocap.com.au
United Kingdom – Europe
In the UK, SHARP – the helmet assessment scheme has provide of several years advice on how to select a helmet that fits correctly and is comfortable, with information about the relative safety of helmets to help motorcyclists to make an informed choice.
However there is no similar assessment scheme for clothing.
Back in 2019 when we published an article on the FIM – Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme – Safety Award 2019 – Clothing Assessment which was awarded to MotoCAP we mentioned that here in Europe motorcycle clothing must now meet certain standards of protection to be sold in a legitimate market place to riders.
We asked, “How are riders here (Europe/UK) informed of the safety standards of clothing in the market place, especially now that a “new” standard for protective clothing for motorcycle riders.
What manufactures and retailers responsibilities should be when a rider comes looking for new piece of clothing, expecting that clothing to meet the crash protection it says it offers.
If not all our “shopping”, but definitely our browsing is now done on-line, we have found a definite hole in detailed information being offered to riders by manufacturers, their distributors and retailers, regarding what their garments offer safety wise within the standards.
They are required to do this, by the overall European Regulation (EU) 2016/425 which is that the Declaration of Conformity – DoC (certification) – must either be provided with the product, or the instruction booklet should include a link to a web page where it can be accessed.
Some (few) are very, very good, some have no information on their website and some have tried their best but come up short on either providing a link to the DoC or actually what individual garments meet regarding the standards or classifications of protection.
We are talking about reputable manufacturers and retailers that we are in no doubt are offering in good faith garments that meet the standards, but just come up short consumer wise in providing information for us to make an informed decision to buy what is an expensive outlay in riding gear.
In fact, we would consider that the legislation has a slight hole in how this information is made available to riders.
After all one would not want to shell out a shed load of money, as has been suggested to us and to which we agree, “based on false claims and mis-selling of the motorcycle clothing, gloves or footwear which are claimed to meet the standards when they do not”, that manufacturers and retailers should, “expect to reasonably be challenged and asked questions”, so watch out for our article coming shortly.”
Nothing much has changed since then with one exception on trying to keep riders informed, stopping traders selling non-conforming or falsely labelled gear, campaigning for riders and that is BikeSocial from Bennetts Motorcycle Insurance and on the related Facebook group – BikeSocial Test Team
This has been led by John Milbank the Consumer Editor of Bennetts BikeSocial – riders themselves and experts such as Paul Varnsverry – Technical Director – PVA-PPE (UK) Limited with a “separate fight” on scams – spams on social media sites such as Facebook and selling sites such as eBay and Amazon regarding unregulated clothing being sold into Europe and the UK.
All this has been discussed on the BikeSocial Test Team and published in articles and videos on BikeSocial – the articles include the following, with links to the videos are below.
STOP the sale of unsafe motorcycle riding kit | How YOU can help
Trading Standards clamps down at London bike show
What’s the safest motorcycle gear? CE ratings explained
Have we taken a step back in rider safety? The problem with CE standards
TT riders must wear CE-approved kit in 2022 racing
UK buyers misled by confusing CE-testing claims
How British industry adapts to Europe | Hood motorcycle jeans
The Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations – FEMA – have been publishing articles linked to the issue:
Buying motorcycle clothing online? Don’t be fooled!
New testing standards for motorcycle clothing
Can choosing motorcycle clothing be made easier?
It was Paul Varnsverry who originally coined and linked “CE – Conformité Européenne or caveat emptor (Let the buyer beware)”
Paul posted on Motorcycle Minds comments, “It sought to establish the distinction between motorcycle clothing which has been tested and certified to the European Standards and that which has not. The fitness for purpose of one is an established quantity. The other may be equally as good, or it might not; hence “caveat emptor” or “the other ‘c.e..” as I also often express it.”
All Together
So while all this information is great we still are of an opinion that all this for clothing needs brought in a similar platform as SHARP or as MotoCAP and CRASH have done.
Hopefully with our ears to the ground we hear that slowly there is some move towards this – basically although protective clothing is not compulsory to wear but if you want to wear the best quality protective clothing that your hand earned money can buy then a one stop information platform can only be the one way to go, with all that is included, mirroring MotoCAP.
So that Caveat Emptor becomes – Let the buyer be aware!
Information
MotoCAP – motocap.com.au
SHARP – SHARP – the helmet assessment scheme
STOP the sale of unsafe motorcycle riding kit | How YOU can help
How safe are these £215 motorcycle leathers? | “This back protector is a fake”
Best motorcycle jeans | Single layer vs lined: THE TRUTH
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