I’ve seen a few of these on the market recently but a lot of them are inside very crap looking jackets. However I have seen some now that you can fit inside any motorcycle jacket.
The principles seem quite good, I’ve heard they can stop neck breakages, which obviously is quite a killer.
What do other people think of these? Anyone got one?
I haven’t, but a guy I used to work with swore by them. He never had the need to use it for real, but he never had it going off accidentally either.It’s potentially fantastic technology. Best not be in need of it tho - avoidance is better… IMHO, naturally.
From the tests I have seen, it may prevent bruising to the area around the neck, but it is usually the crash helmet that actually causes the break, and the break is usually to the base of the skull.
Like airbags in cars, if the impact is that severe, then nothing is going to save you, but at the same time it can also breed a degree of over confidence in the same way that people believe that wearing a back protector on the road will save them spinal injuries whereas in my job I see the complete opposite.
On the other side of the coin, it is a great way for the manufacturers to charge extra for their product by brainwashing the buying public into believing it is the next safety inovation.
Intersting. Can you explain?
I definitly see your point about feeling protected breeding too much confidence, but are you actually saying back protectors don’t work at all, or am I misunderstanding you?
I’d quite like to know about that too as I always make sure to wear my backprotector before I go for a ride
Absolutely they work. Like any armour, they work by spreading the impact over a wider area, reducing the damage at any one point.
I had a buddy years ago who was nearly paralysed by rolling onto a kerb after a 20something mph spill. He wasn’t wearing a back protector and broke a large number of ribs 2 inches (5cm for Dries :)) from his spine. Had he been wearing something more substantial than a t-shirt, he’d have likely been completely alright.
Clearly they do nothing for neck or chest injuries and they don’t make you invincible. Which is why I have a Dainese Wave Jacket:
Camp pose optional.
What job is it you’re in?
As far as I was aware there’s been no negative research into the use of back protectors for motorcyclists, in fact mainly the opposite.
