Representatives of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation traveled across the North Atlantic Ocean to attend the 8th International Motorcycle Conference in Cologne, Germany and hosted by Germany’s Institute for Motorcycle Safety. Motorcyclists in California and across the world are seriously injured in motorcycle accidents on a daily basis. Manufacturers and developers in the recent past have focused safety research on technological improvements that could be implemented on motorcycles, but safety experts who spoke at the conference said that the human element should not be eliminated.
The “100-Rider Study” was presented for the first time by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at the conference this month. The study used technology that could record intricate human movement to examine driver responses in real-world traffic. President Tim Buche with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation said that “an increase of interest in human factors, looking for ways to improve rider skills and influence attitudes toward risk and decision-making, may be the wisest path to safer riding.” He mentioned the importance of studying the human-machine interaction to improve safety features into the future.
Buche also presented a Motorcycle Safety Foundation program called MSF CORE Curricula. The CORE program is a three step exercise course that was designed to give motorcycle riders the ability to increase their mental awareness, judgment and risk management while also fine tuning their physical riding skills.
Dr. Ray Ochs, the Director of Rider Training Systems at the Motorcycle Safety Foundation noticed the sole technological advancement presentations “from use of electro-rheological dampers as a basis for semi-active motorcycle suspensions, to offset mechanisms that reduce front suspension torque during hard breaking in a curve.” He was impressed with the presentations for motorcycle accident prevention but again reminded developers that “it is important to emphasize the tremendous value of training and education programs that address the human factors of the human-machine interaction.”
Source: Motor Sports News Wire “8th International Motorcycle Conference in Cologne Blends Technology and the Human Element” Motorcycle Safety Foundation 10/13/10
