Motorcyclist Airbad

[Snow]

I will *definately* be buying one of these when they are available here (or I might have to save up to fly to Italy)

ABCNews.com story about Airbag

I wonder if they have a leather version?

[Ken Talbot]

I'm guessing none of that $500,00 they spent on building a special crash test dummy wasn't spend on a crash test passenger..

[Snow]

Lol, imagine it now - a guy riding along with his woman on the back. Suddnely, a soccer mom talking on a cell phone while driving her Ford Exhibition pulls out of a supermarket driveway right in front of the biker that is doing the speedlimit of 55 mph... right at impact, his trusty Air bag finishes inflating, saving him from any serious injury, while his girl is jetisoned into the windshield of the Lincoln Towncar tailgating them for the last 5 miles. But luckily she is wearing an air bag too!

She is then launched back foward over the SUV that her boyfriend just flew over and lands on his legs, breaking them instanly. And all is well

[Wayne]

Looks more dangerous that helpful to me. I would really not care to be a bouncing ball on the freeway should I do a high-side (God forbid!!!) Not to mention, as Ken related to, what happens to your passenger babe when that thing deploys. She will then need a butt air bag!

This reminds me of a story back in the 80's I read in the AMA magazine, about the Governor of one of the southern states, trying to pass legislation to put seat-belts on motorcycles. One of the AMA reps went to meet with this well intentioned Governor to try and talk some sense into him.

The AMA rep tried to explain that seat-belts on a moto was a very bad idea and he should drop his proposed bill. The Gov would have none of it, so the AMA rep invited him to at least sit on his moto and get an idea of what it was like (the Gov had never even sat on a bike!). Just as the Gov was settling down into the seat, the AMA rep kicked the bike and it tumbled over. The Gov had to jump out of the way to keep from falling under the bike.

"Why the hell did you do that?" The Gov cried.

"How would you have felt if you had been strapped to that thing?"

The Gov dropped the proposal.

[uk1.1s]

Beware the safety Nazi's

In Britian the Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) - equivalent to ABATE in the US - and one or two other bike organisations have been fighting off some mad ideas like this for a few years.

The government here are likely to try and make the use of some of these 'good ideas' compulsory if we're not careful.

Our Transport Research Laboratory seems to be able to spend massive amount of money on things like this. An airbag on top of the tank was one which had to be gently pointed out would propel a biker from the bike quite violently - and probably into other vehicles. Another I can remeber was compulsory leg shields on bikes - which was proven by other research years before to lead to more head / upper body damage in an accident.

Each to his own I suppose, but I won't be in the queue for anything like this.

[strom]

Don't brake your back falling with your bike... the all-new-hi-tec-super-duper airbag will do it for you!

OK, I can understand airbag collars so u dont brake your neck, but this is stupid.

LP