MOTORCYCLE FIRE BURN INJURIES: PATTERN AND CAUSES

Twenty-five gasoline fire experiments and 17 laboratory collisions were conducted in an effort to determine the mechanics of gasoline fuel propagation during motorcycle crashes. Data from 34 real accidents were also analyzed to establish burn injury patterns. In 14 of the accident investigations, the motorcycle was modified from its stock configuration in a manner which directly affected the fuel system's integrity at collision or falldown. Fire propagation, burn injury mechanisms, variance in burning rates due to clothing, impact severity, and fuel system design are discussed, and the following tentative conclusions are drawn. Rescue attempts in motorcycle fires involving unmodified fuel systems can be made safely without the threat of a "Hollywood" type explosion. Early patting out of even saturated clothing can successfully limit the degree of burn injury, with minimal or no risk to the rescuer. Leather clothing can markedly diminish the rate of temperature rise to the skin, and leather worn over an insulating layer of cloth is even better. Clothing in layers, worn close to the body, can also provide significant protection, provided the outer layer is extinguished before the inner layer ignites.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Published in HS-031 132, "International Motorcycle Safety Conference Proceedings. Volume 4: Supplementary Papers," Linthicum, Md., 1980, pp 1523-37. Conference held in Washington D.C., 18-23 May 1980.
• Corporate Authors:

  Otto Laboratories, Incorporated

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Cababa, E R
  • Otto, W M
• Publication Date: 1980

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 15 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Burns (Injuries); Clothing; Crash injury research; Crash investigation; Crash severity; Fires; Fuel systems; Leather; Motorcycles; Protection
• Old TRIS Terms: Propagation
• Subject Areas: Research; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00369676
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-031 137
• Files: HSL, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 31 1983 12:00AM