Motorcycle riders in Western Australia (WA) have been warned not to compromise on protective clothing despite warmer spring weather approaching.
The Road Safety Commission has called upon The Motorcycle Clothing Assessment Program (MotoCAP) Chief Scientist and Deakin University Research Fellow Christopher Hurren to provide practical advice for motorcycle riders making the most of the fine and warm conditions on the roads.
“Thermal comfort is really important in warmer climates like WA because you can lose cognitive function and you start making mistakes, it’s as simple as that,” said Dr Hurren.
“Wearing clothing that will make you feel comfortable on hot days is really important, but you still need to have that protection.
Twenty-six motorcycle riders have lost their lives on WA roads already in 2019, compared to 19 motorcycle deaths at the same time last year.
Dr Hurren said the level of protective clothing needed was dependent on whether motorcyclists were riding at lower speeds in metropolitan areas or in high speed zones in regional areas.
“When you’re riding in the city at 60km/h or less, you can compensate with protective clothing that has a little less abrasion time, as long as you have good impact and burst protection,” he said.
“Conversely, if you’re riding out on a country road, you really want to have really good abrasion protection as well as burst and impact protection, because the distance you are going to slide from a 100km/h crash is going to be much further than what you will in the city.”
Further information is available on the MotoCAP website.
