INVESTIGATION INTO THE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF HELMETS ON USERS OF POWERED TWO-WHEELERS

In the Federal Republic of Germany, highway traffic, among other things, is characterized by a vigorous increase in the numbers of powered two-wheelers and till 1982 a growing number of fatal and injury accidents in this group of road users. For that reason, the Federal Highway Research Institute (BAST), as accident research center, has made the problems associated with passive safety features for users of powered two-wheelers a focal point of its programs of research and set up a number of research projects. In the following, only the results of helmet studies are reported. The work was undertaken to answer especially the questions raised in respect of the effectiveness of helmets as protective devices. The problem was approached by studying and plotting head injuries sustained in real accidents by helmeted and unhelmeted motorcyclists and by studying the loads sustained by the head by means of accident reconstructions. The objective of the research was also to study possibilities of optimizing head protection by means of helmet improvements. For the covering abstract of the conference see TRIS 393117. (Author/TRRL)

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was presented during the Proceedings of the 1984 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impacts, Delft, the Netherlands, 4, 5, 6 September 1984.
• Corporate Authors:

  IRCOBI (International Research Council on the Biokinetics of Impacts)

  109 Avenue Salvador Allende
  Bron CEDEX,   France  F-69675
• Authors:
  • STOECKER, U
  • Löffelholz, H
• Conference:
  • This paper was presented during the Proceedings of the 1984 International IRCOBI Conference on the Biomechanics of Impacts, Delft, the Netherlands, 4, 5, 6 September 1984.
• Publication Date: 1984

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 79-90

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Biophysics; Conferences; Design; Economic efficiency; Head; Helmets; Injuries; Injury severity; Measures of effectiveness; Motorcyclists; Optimization; Prevention; Protective clothing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Effectiveness; Efficiency
• Geographic Terms: Germany
• Old TRIS Terms: Optimum design
• ITRD Terms: 2060: Biomechanics; 8525: Conference; 1687: Crash helmet; 9011: Design (overall design); 5911: Efficiency; 8125: Germany; 2163: Injury; 1752: Motorcyclist; 9149: Prevention; 1623: Severity (accid, injury)
• Subject Areas: Design; Economics; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment; I81: Accident Statistics; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00393124
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institute for Road Safety Research, SWOV
• Files: ITRD, TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 30 1985 12:00AM