Spidi beats Alpinestars, Dainese to market with airbag-equipped race suit

Little known in the US,

The problem is it has the same problems the system's always had; namely high risk of accidental inflation, the inability to self-inflate if the rider doesn't separate from the motorcycle in a crash and unpredictable results upon inflation. Because Spidi relies on a lanyard to set off inflation, it's easy for riders to forget to disconnect when dismounting while life-threatening impacts could go unmitigated if the rider remains in a lanyard's reach of the bike. The violent inflation of the bag could also exacerbate injuries if it goes off at the wrong time or even after the accident is all done with.

It's those issues in which Alpinestars and Dainese are investing millions of Euros researching, developing detailed sets of data about what happens in a variety of crashes both on- and off-track and thereby developing airbags that will inflate predictably in the right circumstances. Until we've seen racers crash in those 'bags, we'll be sticking with our tried-and-tested quality leathers, expensive helmets and hefty back protectors.

Spidi via Motoblog.it