on radio1 today

[zxrnoakze400]

was driving about all day as i do and on the news they was saying about a new bike jacket which has a fitted airbag! apparently some doctor guys are trying to make it compulsery to where it along with a helmet, dont know if it will though.

whats your thoughts would you wear this!? i asume they would start off crap but if it was compulsery the big names would make some sexi ones!

you can find the video on here but my computer is playing up so youl have to find it for ye selves!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1

[RedexRobB]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/techn ... 886427.stm

Theres gonna be alot to be said about this in the bike community, i imagine alot of peeps are going to be against it rather than for it. Its a good idea, only thing is youd have to have a pressurised canister on your bike, which for some places like darford tunnel, you require an escort through in case of an accident and it explodes.

Dainese tested a similar jacket that puffed up at the neck to stop neck injury i believe.

Not sure if i like the idea yet, but if it helps then yes id wear one.

[crushedlizard]

What happens when you forget you're tethered to your bike and you get off it?

[RedexRobB]

That was one of my first thoughts

[hciR]

It sounds like a good idea, although the only thing I'd be worried about is if it malfunctioned and went off whilst your riding.

[Scott221]

Why not start with fixing the pot holes in the roads first. Or the slippery man hole covers on the apex's of corners, or educating the f*****g blonde bimbo in her big f*** off land rover who didn't see us.

[RedexRobB]

Thats something else i said, apparently for the 1% of road users that we are, we account for 20% of road deaths. But how many of those road deaths are down to own error, or other drivers?

[Davw]

this story must have got a hell of a lot of coverage. I was buying MCN in Sainsburys and the old granny on the checkout started telling me all about it!!! - Rest assured that an inflatable jacket will cost, will need regular servicing and will be another item of safety kit that the rozzers will be able to stop us to inspect. Why not sort out diesel splillages, the crap state of the roads etc etc first??? - simple answer to that one. - The rider will have to pay for the inflatable jacket, the council will have to pay for the road repairs and for policing diesel spills - its a "no brainer" - or maybe I am just too cynical in my old age.

Lets support personal choice - if you want to wear an infaltable jacket then go for it - of you dont then that is fine too.

[saka_ZXR]

I'd be far too paranoid of it going off on its own whilst i'm driving!

Plus with it round ur neck and chest what if it over expands and stops you from breathing?

[CarneyUK]

I think they are a good idea myself. The only thing I am against is the compulsery bit. As with anything in life we are getting to far into this you will/must wear/do/have this by law!! If people want to wear one they they can, if they don't then that's up to them. You take the risk etc etc.

I think you will find when they say attached to the bike the cannister is in the jacket and attatched to the bike by a lead. This is just a trigger mechanism. As for the Tunnels it'd be just the same as for car airbags. Only problem you would have is taking the jacket on a plane to go on holiday etc.

It sounds like a good idea, although the only thing I'd be worried about is if it malfunctioned and went off whilst your riding.

Would be the same as in a car with an airbag and most people don't even know they are there.

or educating the f*****g blonde bimbo in her big f*** off land rover who didn't see us.

Do you know how much it would cost and the time it would take. We'd be tranpsorting by teleportation by then

[Gemini]

i think its a good idea, but £600 and compulsory, that'll never happen!

instead of resorting to these measures and inventing these things, to me, as scott said, y not fix the roads and plough more money into compulsory refresher driving courses for car drivers?

im a sloppy car driver, and even being a biker i sometimes forget to check my mirrors, i would be well up for compulsory refresher courses, it'd just be the same as any professional person who attends career development courses, they just keep you fresh

gem

[RedexRobB]

I think the whole training/test thing needs a revamp, what you learn to pass your test is at best, basic, for what you need to drive on the road these days. That goes for bikes and cars. You cant put it soley down to car drivers to improve cos theres plenty of idiots out there on bikes too.

[Gemini]

yeah i mean all road users

gem

[Jeppo]

Instead of jumping straight in with an inflatable jacket law, I don't understand why they've never tried to make leather/some form of protective jacket law......We've all seen some dick riding in a t-shirt, or something totally inappropriate for a bike.

I've seen the dainese video of the bloke lowsiding and his jacket going up like an airbag. That is all good and well but if he slides onto the other side of the road and there is something coming I doubt a massive airbag allows much movement, i.e. he wouldnt be able to get out of the road quick enough. I can't say i'd be excited about wearing one.

[zxrnoakze400]

cheers for link robB, i agree with the "if you want to where one then be my guest" rather then make it compulsary, dont know if anyone else has realised but the roads are realy fuked after this bad wheather! i think its where weve had all the snow and ice its caused loads of the roads to just break up, i know the part of M25 where i live is a state and have to take so much more care now on the bike.. apparently its gona cost millions to sort the roads out after this wheather... more roadworks