United Kingdom - In the past in Northern Ireland we ran First Aid training for riders - provided by Saint John Ambulance - the idea behind a specific course was that rendering First Aid to a motorcyclist involves many additional considerations that may not be “instructed” in basic First Aid courses. A motorcyclist may be wearing heavy leathers, armour and should be wearing a helmet, which means that delivering essential lifesaving First Aid to bikers can be more life critical. Taking this specific first aid for motorcyclists a bit further, is Biker Down, the FREE … [Read more...]
Gosh It’s Hot! – Hydrate For Safety!
Global - Although in our part of France it has rained for the first time in a couple of weeks with the heat ranging from dry and hot to - hot and humid, England – Scotland and Wales the past week saw the temperatures rising to hot and sweaty. With that heat comes the usual manifestation, as surely as rain and threats of flooding return, advice from various “safety” sources to ride wearing nothing less than the full “proper” protective clothing. Some advice considers that it is better to dress up for a crash and sweat in order to remain safe. There are those (including … [Read more...]
FIM – Women In Motorcycling
Global - Special Action For A Milestone Anniversary - This year the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme) Women in Motorcycling Commission is celebrating its 10 year anniversary. Back in June 2006, the FIM made a major commitment towards women in motorcycling by signing the Brighton Declaration, a document drafted in 1994 in Great Britain (Brighton) during the first World Conference on Women and Sport. To date, 419 organisations worldwide have endorsed the Declaration with the goal to “enable and value full involvement of women in every aspect of Sport”. Over … [Read more...]
Helmet Evolution
Helmets - Bikesure a UK motorcycle insurance company have shared their video about the evolution of the motorcycle helmet. Bikesure say, "The motorcycle helmet has been saving the lives of bikers for generations. Here, specialist insurance broker Bikesure takes to the track to showcase the development of this essential piece of motorcyclists' kit from the early bowl helmets to the high-tech helmets of today." For the UK and Europe we live with European standards that are compulsory for helmets sold in Europe but compulsory wearing of a helmet is mandated by each … [Read more...]
The Art of Dialogue and Motorcycling
Norway - In June 2008, over 100 motorcycling specialists met in the mountain town of Lillehammer, Norway to thrash out solutions to improve the “safety” of motorcyclists. The workshop was organised by the International Transport Forum/OECD with the objective of “bringing together the different stakeholders involved in motorcycling safety in order to identify the real problems of motorcycling safety (vs. the perceived problems), discuss practical solutions to these problems and propose a set of measures to improve the safety of motorcyclists”. The extraordinary … [Read more...]
Crossing the Centerline – Or Not
USA - Today, the numbers have changed, at least in the western states. Now, the majority of crashes are out in the country, and motorcyclists are more often at fault. Typically, a motorcyclist either does something dumb, or can’t control the motorcycle, and crashes into something. One scary scenario is with the motorcyclist going wide in a right-hand curve and colliding with an oncoming vehicle. An example of this occurred on the Olym pic Peninsula northwest of Seattle, where a novice rider was out with some friends on a group ride. According to newspaper reports, “…the … [Read more...]
Shake Rattle And Roll
UK - Warning Systems For Motorcycles In that brief moment of panic before a crash, Oh Shit! is the cry of many a rider and it refers to those 2 seconds before a crash. This is the point in time where even the most experienced rider freezes – because they have never been confronted with that situation before. One of the solutions on the table to reduce crashes is speed warning systems for motorcycles [i]. But the most important element about warning systems is the time factor. Findings from the Hurt report (1981) [ii] tell us that the typical motorcycle accident … [Read more...]
