Motorcycle Armor Protection Standards

While evidence suggests that motorcyclists could benefit greatly from specialized body armor to protect the extremities and the torso in the event of a crash, standards governing body armor development and testing remain few in number as of 2011.

Protective Gear

According to the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 218, all motorcyclists must wear a helmet. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation also recommends that riders wear protective gloves, a heavy-duty jacket, boots and eye protection. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describes ongoing efforts to design special body armor for motorcyclists.

European Standards

As of January 2011, no standards for motorcycle armor exist in the United States. However, the European Union has produced a set of testing standards for elbow, shoulder and knee armor (CE EN 1621-1) and for spinal armor (CE EN 1621-2).

Torso

While European standards exist for elbow, knee, shoulder and spinal armor, as of January 2011 no standards exist anywhere for the development of torso armor. According to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, this is a key area of research that must be undertaken in order to protect motor cyclists from life threatening injuries.

References

• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Motorcycle Safety Foundation: Personal Protective Equipment