One of the most vulnerable groups on the road is motorcyclists. Lacking a protective structure, they are directly exposed to the consequences of collisions and falls, with no other protection than a helmet and any other safety equipment they use. The accident data reflect this reality in a worrying way: in 2023, motorcyclists were the group that increased their mortality the most, with 299 deaths, 45 more than in 2022.
This trend is one of the main concerns of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), which seeks to implement effective measures to reduce these numbers and improve the safety of motorists on the roads. The organization headed by Pere Navarro announced at the beginning of the month that during the summer camouflaged motorcycles will be used to monitor motorists and guarantee compliance with traffic regulations.
To analyze what a motorcycle accident is like, the Mapfre Foundation has carried out an experimental frontal crash test between a motorcycle and a car. In this crash test, a motorcycle with two dummy occupants launched at 40m km/h collides with a stationary car.
In the images you can see how the motorcycle violently impacts the front of the car and the two occupants are thrown forward from their seats. The motorcycle driver’s dummy hits the hood with its head and falls in front of the car. Meanwhile, the passenger dummy is thrown over the driver, flipping through the air, hitting the windshield and roof of the car before coming to rest on the ground behind the vehicle in an anatomically impossible position.
To carry out the test, the dummies were equipped with vests with airbags that activate in less than 200 milliseconds, protecting the chest, back, tailbone, neck and neck. These devices, whose inflation time to be effective should not be less than five seconds, reduce the probability of serious injuries by up to 22%, according to the study Ergonomics and sensations in the use of motorcyclist airbags.
The conclusions of the study reveal that traveling as a motorcycle companion does not offer advantages in the event of an accident. In the two impact tests carried out – with trail bikes and scooters – it was confirmed that the damage suffered by the passenger was not less than that of the driver. In fact, in both impacts, the passenger suffered more injuries than the driver.
In the case of trail bikes, injuries are potentially more serious than on scooters due to the more pronounced passenger catapult effect. The passenger position on the scooter, with the seat more horizontal and legs more closely coupled with those of the driver, reduces the risk of being thrown over the driver. However, on motorcycles with a non-scooter design, where the passenger seat is higher than the driver’s seat, the risk of catapult effect is greater.
In all cases, the report concludes, the passenger’s injuries can be serious or very serious. “Going behind” does not offer greater safety in the event of an accident.