RST Fusion Airbag leather jacket

[Horse]

I do wonder how much in a road context having an airbag jacket it likely to be of massive benefit over a standard one.

Fill your boots with this info https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r ... est-jacket

you know i asked the Qn 3 years ago

Good excuse as any for posting a link

But back to your question. It's an interesting article in so far as it details how much energy they can absorb.

But where it doesn't help at all is - and I've not ever seen anything that does - explanations of how 'popular' biking injuries are caused.

And, more importantly, what PPE might reduce the likelihood of suffering those injuries.

Couple of f'rinstances:

- Armour over the collar bones. A lot of broken collar bones occur when a rider (horse riders often suffer it too) puts an arm out when they're falling. All that energy has to go somewhere, so a broken wrist is one option. Or the force goes up to the collar bone. How often is a break caused by direct impact?

- Back protection. I've heard (no link) that many spine injuries are from sideways (e.g. shoulder impact) or twisting. Are many caused by direct impact?

- Hip armour (and there are some air protectors too). But a common, serious (life-threatening), injury is the 'open book' fracture from hitting the back of the tank.

Chest injuries are also life-threatening. But very little bike gear includes chest armour. However, this is an injury type where an airbag might reduce impact force and make a difference to survival.

Neck injuries can be catastrophic. I was lucky, just concussion and strained neck muscles. But a broken neck could mean paralysis or death. So a Leatt brace or airbag might protect your neck - but could redirecting the force cause other injuries? I know there has been research on this, by a UK university for a PPE manufacturer, but I haven't seen anything published (possibly because it's commercially sensitive).

Edit: I'm also concerned that this could be an example of where racing might not 'improve the breed' for road riders.

^ Up there I should have said 'road riding injuries'

[Horse]

But back to your question. It's an interesting article in so far as it details how much energy they can absorb.

But where it doesn't help at all is - and I've not ever seen anything that does - explanations of how 'popular' biking injuries are caused.

And, more importantly, what PPE might reduce the likelihood of suffering those injuries.

... Snip ...

Edit: I'm also concerned that this could be an example of where racing might not 'improve the breed' for road riders.

^ Up there I should have said 'road riding injuries'

@weeksy

And bang on cue, an upcoming safety conference includes:

Comparing Riders‘ Experiences in Real Life Crashes with and without Airbag Jackets
Martin Winkelbauer | KFV (Kuratorium für Verkehrssicherheit), Austria

So, you might get an answer ... One day. Come back in another three years