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At first glance there seems to be no correlation between braking and injuries, but an in-depth study of fatal motorcycle collisions reveals the cause of accident to be incorrect braking. Modern motorcycles have excellent brakes but the driver is often overtaxed in pre-accident situations. There is a great risk that even an experienced driver will overbrake the front wheel due to the stress situation. As an investigation of 613 motorcycle collisions with cars shows, the only solution to this problem is to equip motorcycles with antilock braking systems. The reconstruction and practical analysis of these cases and a collaboration with the University of Darmstadt showed the different braking parameters, reduced braking distance and increased stability. The study also demonstrates the influence of different motorcycle and driver movement during the impact with or without a fall after emergency braking. This has a direct effect on the type of injuries suffered.

The collision type is an essential criterion for assessing an accident. The more frequently a certain impact configuration of motor cycle and car occurs, or the worse the consequences of the accident turn out to be for the motor-cyclist, the more important it is to consider whether it is possible to increase the safety of these critical points by passive safety elements. In this paper the collision types are examined on the basis of 528 accidents between a motor cycle and a car, and 14 collisiontypes of them are presented which characterise the accident with regard to frequency and consequences. They are intended to serve as the basis for defining crash tests necessary for working out passive safety elements and which, in addition, provide a picture of the details of real-life accidents in Germany.

It is extremely difficult to find safety elements for motorized two-wheelers. For this reason it is important to begin by examining the accident sequences and by clearly analysing the main points of injury as well as the way in which the injuries arise. What emerges is a very complex accident sequence in the case of two-wheelers which involves the danger that one safety element optimised with regard to only one problem can result in disadvantages when the overall accident severity is examined. The leg protection as an isolated safety element has to be mentioned in this connection. If it is not properly designed the influence it. has on the movement sequence can result in increasing the risk of injury to other parts of the body. A satisfactory solution with an airbag might be a way out of the dilemma.