UG2 Motorcycles safety

the User group 2 is led by the University of Firenze.The activities regarding motorcycle safety conducted in the past have been generally uncoordinated and focused on specific themes. With this in mind, Inventory Reports are being created on the current knowledge on the following main topics:

• Standards and research activities conducted on motorcycles
• Standards and research activities conducted on infrastructure
• Standards and research activities conducted on protective clothing and helmets
• Research activities conducted with regard to the compatibility of motorcycles with other vehicles
• Accidentology with respect to motorcyclist’s road accidents

On the base of these inventory reports, the most appropriate research actions for an integrated approach on Motorcycle Safety will be determined. The foreseen activities can be outlined as follows:

1. Identification and priority listing of user needs & technology requirements for enhance the motorcycle safety. In this step the main gaps of research activities on motorcycle safety and the lack of co-ordination between activities will be identified. This analysis will allow to plan future work. At the moment the following activities can be envisaged:Evaluation of safety increase through sensors; Design less aggressive roadside equipment; Assessment of safety increase through an enhancement of road maintenance quality; Improvement of road user education.
   
2. Selection and transfer of design methodologies from the automotive sector to the motorcycle sector to efficiently exploit research activities performed in past Framework Programs and to satisfy the increased demand for onboard technology on motorcycle and/or for enhanced personal protective devices. This targets will be achieved with a synergetic research effort of all the partners and through a coordination with other WPs, WGs and IPs.
   
3. Economic analysis in order to design protective devices (onboard devices an personal protective equipment), which are cost effective to increase their acceptance in the market. In fact the cost of these devices can be a limiting factor for their rapid implementation in new products. The same analysis will be performed with reference to road infrastructure, so as to evaluate a cost and implementation timetable of the new research results.