APROSYS SP4: Advanced testing procedures for protective measures on rider equipment and road furniture

Within the European research project APROSYS SP4 several initiatives were undertaken to improve the safety for motorcyclists. Impact test standards and procedures, that have been revised or are being proposed for the first time, are presented in this paper. One of the objectives in APROSYS SP4 is the development of advanced personal protective equip- ment. The current version of the ECE R22 regulation on helmet testing was reviewed. Several issues for improvement in a medium-term perspective have been identified as well as an advanced evaluation procedure for the long-term. A test protocol was defined for the testing of the effectiveness of a thorax protector for occupants of powered two-wheelers. The protocol was implied in the assessment of different design variants of such a protector by means of numerical simulation before manufacturing a prototype for physical test- ing. Another objective of the project is the development of guidelines for a European impact test standard on motorcyclists' protection by roadside safety barriers. The focus of this work is on the sliding impact after the separation of rider and two-wheeler. Using crash simulation with human models it was shown that loading of the thorax is a crucial problem in the proposed impact configurations. Already existing test procedures do not include any appropriate assessment for that. It was therefore concluded that new measurements for the physical tests need to be developed. The tests will serve for the development of improved barrier systems.