History of motorcycle airbags

Little is known about the technology that is revolutionizing motorcyclist safety: motorcycle airbags protect vital organs located in the neck, chest, and abdomen and have been shown to disruptively reduce the risk of dying in a motorcycle accident.

Since 1980, automotive airbag systems have saved millions of lives annually, and this technology is already being widely used by motorcyclists. In fact, the first concept for an airbag garment for two-wheeled vehicles was patented in 1915, and since then, more than 700 similar patents have been registered.

Motorcycle airbags are pneumatic systems hidden inside conventional motorcycle gear, which inflate automatically during an accident and protect vital organs located in the neck, chest, and abdomen.  

There is only one technical standard accepted by the European community for evaluating the quality and suitability of mechanically activated motorcycle airbags, which is EN-1621-4. This standard evaluates aspects such as impact energy absorption, activation speed, reliability of the activation system, and coverage zones, among others.  According to the level of energy absorption, they are classified as level 1 and level 2 for higher safety. 

There are electronically activated airbags on the market, which do not yet have a certification standard because they present reliability problems due to false activations.  These electronic airbags are mandatory in competitions like MotoGP due to their high activation speed.

Currently, the best-selling systems are mechanically activated due to their simplicity, low cost, and high reusability, while electronically activated systems are more common in motorcycle competitions.

The Spanish National Association of Two-Wheeled Sector Companies (ANESDOR) created a catalog of products on the market, which can be downloaded at this link: https://airbag.anesdor.com/catalogo/   Several conclusions can be drawn from this catalog:

·       Only 3 brands demonstrate having their products certified under the European standard EN-1621-4: AIROBAG, HIT-AIR, and MOTOAIRBAG. 

·       There are uncertified Chinese-made products sold on ALIBABA for $80 that are re-branded and sold at 3 or 4 times their price under different brands. 

·       There are many electronic airbags on the market that claim to be certified by the CRITT protocol.  That protocol has a residual force threshold of 24 kN (kilonewton), while the EN-1621-4 standard requires 2.5 kN of residual force, which demonstrates

Despite motorcycle airbags being a relatively new technology, poor quality products without any certification have become popular.  Before purchasing a motorcycle airbag system, it is recommended to verify the safety triad (standard+laboratory+document): first, verify that the certification standard is correct (EN-1621-4); second, verify that the certification is issued by a reliable laboratory; and finally, demand the certification document and verify its authenticity.  

A helmet certified with the ECE-22.06 standard and an airbag certified with the EN-1621-4 standard make the difference between life and death in a motorcycle accident. Using fake certified equipment can cost you your life.