The Requisite for Motorcycle Personal Protective Clothing: Malaysia’s Perspective

Nearly 1.3 million people are killed and up to 50 million people are injured on the world’s roads every year. Approximately 30 % of road deaths involve motorcyclists especially in the ASEAN region. In Malaysia, the number of motorcycle accidents is consistently increasing in parallel with the rising number of registered motorcycles. Motorcyclists are categorized under vulnerable road users (VRUs) due to their disadvantages in terms of safety. It is believed that personal protection equipment (PPE) is able to mitigate and minimize motorcyclist injuries resulted from road crashes. The most basic PPE for motorcyclist is the helmet which is made mandatory in many Southeast Asia countries due to its effectiveness in reducing head injuries. Other than that, protective clothing is also vital to protect human body parts from trauma. This study attempts to explore the effectiveness of motorcycle protective clothing performance available in Malaysia. Selected motorcycle protective clothing was tested using anthropometric test device, calibration equipment and instrument. In addition, a market survey was conducted to explore and examine the types and trends of motorcycle protective clothing available. This study finds that motorcycle protective clothing with protector i.e. padding and airbag can provide potentially reduced neck and chest injury in contrast with those with no protection. Furthermore, the result reveals that 55% of the protective clothing available is made of synthetic material. The overall results provide significant information that is useful in the development of countermeasures to improve motorcyclists’ safety.