Air Fence Safety Performance - Research?

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,755]

 

 

You undermine the validity of your opinion by rather crassly comparing and equating the results of scientific research to messing about with a bouncy castle and garden fence. If you don't have any objective factual evidence then your opinion is no better than mine.

 

It seems odd that your worst ever accident involved an air bag and your helmet broke; I'd be asking why? How many helmets have been broken on impact with an air bag in comparison with other types of safety fence might just be a good question to pose? Is it more likely a helmet will break due to the different forces applied when a wearer hits the air bag compared to other types of fencing may be another?

i used the bouncy castle /garden fence because thats what the 2 types of fence really are and my helmet broke because i hit the airfence so hard i actually hit the fence behind behind it aswell and thats what broke my helmet. Without that airfence infront things would of been a lot worse. My avtar pic is the crash . Yes it is my opinion but it is also the opinion of all the riders although they all agree the fixing down of the air fence needs looking at and any safety board anywhere in the world would be of the same opinion as the riders .air fences are also used in road racing aswell now Edited October 7, 2013 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Elephantman 196]

 

 

 

VERY well put Sir.

 

There should be NO compromise on Rider Safety. The Sport is very dangerous and anything that can reasonably reduce the chances of serious injury to Riders, or for that matter Spectators should be considered.

 

 

 

VERY well put Sir.

 

There should be NO compromise on Rider Safety. The Sport is very dangerous and anything that can reasonably reduce the chances of serious injury to Riders, or for that matter Spectators should be considered.

 

Except you do not know and cannot be certain that these fences improve safety; you just think they do based on subjective evidence. That is why the facts need to be established because there should be no compromise on rider safety; including allowing the manufacturers of air fences to avoid conducting scientifically valid research to prove their efficacy!

 

 

[THE DEAN MACHINE 4,755]

 

 

Except you do not know and cannot be certain that these fences improve safety; you just think they do based on subjective evidence. That is why the facts need to be established because there should be no compromise on rider safety; including allowing the manufacturers of air fences to avoid conducting scientifically valid research to prove their efficacy!

are you sure your not a promoter?. Well the air fence saved my life so thats proof enough for me and i dont think you would need to go far to find other riders who agree but the fact is they are going to be installed at every track and although ive retired now its a fact im really happy about Edited October 7, 2013 by THE DEAN MACHINE

[Elephantman 196]

are you sure your not a promoter?. Well the air fence saved my life so thats proof enough for me and i dont think you would need to go far to find other riders who agree but the fact is they are going to be installed at every track and although ive retired now its a fact im really happy about

 

The majority once believed the world was flat; they were wrong! I don't know if you and your fellow riders are wrong or right and actually should I really be that worried it will not ruin my day either way. However if in 10 years time the empirical evidence shows that there are more serious injuries than in the last ten years where do you go from there? A good idea need to have proof that it is a good idea particularly where safety is concerned; I still cannot find any proof!

[Reliant Robin 492]

The majority once believed the world was flat; they were wrong! I don't know if you and your fellow riders are wrong or right and actually should I really be that worried it will not ruin my day either way. However if in 10 years time the empirical evidence shows that there are more serious injuries than in the last ten years where do you go from there? A good idea need to have proof that it is a good idea particularly where safety is concerned; I still cannot find any proof!

If you're actively seeking 'hard objective facts', why not try asking the insurance company responsible for covering Speedway injuries if they have any info that they are able to share. Just because you cannot 'find' proof does not mean that the proof is not there.

[Guest]

VERY well put Sir.

 

There should be NO compromise on Rider Safety. The Sport is very dangerous and anything that can reasonably reduce the chances of serious injury to Riders, or for that matter Spectators should be considered.

 

Yes, it's those both sides of the safety fence who have to be considered. A well put comment.

Edited October 7, 2013 by Guest

[DunRobin 465]

But are today's injuries caused by the air fences? All the riders say that the new silencers are causing problems when you have to shut off the throttle in the bends & can never be sure when the drive will be restored, when opening the throttle up again & then suddenly kicks in giving too much drive. There also seems to be a lot of accidents in the GP's this year & many seem to be from ruts in the temporary tracks. If you think of it Ward, Woffy & Sajvutinov all have had bad falls in the GP's & I can't remember where Holder got his injury. A lot of injuries involving the top riders.

[The White Knight 9,039]

The majority once believed the world was flat; they were wrong! I don't know if you and your fellow riders are wrong or right and actually should I really be that worried it will not ruin my day either way. However if in 10 years time the empirical evidence shows that there are more serious injuries than in the last ten years where do you go from there? A good idea need to have proof that it is a good idea particularly where safety is concerned; I still cannot find any proof!

 

Chris Holder is ALL the PROOF that I need. Had he not slid under the Air Fence and hit the fence behind he would NOT be in the state he is in now. How the Air Fence is anchored though is a different argument which needs to be looked at. The Air Fence WOULD have saved Chris a lot of trouble had his Bike not 'lifted' the fence so that he came in contact with, as I say, the Fence behind.

[Tsunami 10,219]

Yes, it's those both sides of the safety fence who have to be considered. A well put comment.

 

In one of my many roles I was fortunate to see a folio showing the tests that one company has carried out on their type of airfence, that they are currently trying to sell to promotions. There are substantial photos of crash test dummies(good name for a group that) being rammed into the fence at a given speed with photos from behind, above and from the side. Speed of impact is calibrated and the effects of the impact photographed. In particular, they carried out the same impacts to the velcro overlap between two panels to show that the joint was not a weakpoint, but as strong at the panel all over. One problem recently has been the weakness whereby the rider, and/or the bike, gets lodged under the actually panel and was unable to get out unaided. Their design has a new feature in the form of a solid rubber wedge behind the kickboard flap, and this will prevent the problem. There are numerous grades of plastic material, all of which will do the job, but Newcastle are going to purchase theirs with the top quality as you would expect. So it would seem that there is a lot of research been carried out and well chronicled. Like the aforementioned solid rubber wedge, actually usage is also being used to try and enhance and improve the qualities to give the riders the best protection.

An announcement is expected very soon.

Edited October 10, 2013 by Tsunami

[Jonny the spud 2,281]

 

 

The majority once believed the world was flat; they were wrong! I don't know if you and your fellow riders are wrong or right and actually should I really be that worried it will not ruin my day either way. However if in 10 years time the empirical evidence shows that there are more serious injuries than in the last ten years where do you go from there? A good idea need to have proof that it is a good idea particularly where safety is concerned; I still cannot find any proof!

 

Elephantman. Just a quick question. Have you ever raced speedway ?

[Byker Biker 472]

In one of my many roles I was fortunate to see a folio showing the tests that one company has carried out on their type of airfence, that they are currently trying to sell to promotions. There are substantial photos of crash test dummies(good name for a group that) being rammed into the fence at a given speed with photos from behind, above and from the side. Speed of impact is calibrated and the effects of the impact photographed. In particular, they carried out the same impacts to the velcro overlap between two panels to show that the joint was not a weakpoint, but as strong at the panel all over. One problem recently has been the weakness whereby the ride, and/or the bike, gets lodged under the actually panel and was unable to get out unaided. Their design has a new feature in the form of a solid rubber wedge behind the kickboard flap, and this will pretend the problem. There are numerous grades of plastic material, all of which will do the job, but Newcastle are going to purchase theirs with the top quality as you would expect. So it would seem that there is a lot of research been carried out and well chronicled. Like the aforementioned solid rubber wedge, actually usage is also being used to try and enhance and improve the qualities to give the riders the best protection.

An announcement is expected very soon.

 

What speeds were those tests carried out at please Dave?

[Tsunami 10,219]

What speeds were those tests carried out at please Dave?

 

I really don't remember, BB. They were set up to simulate a rider hitting the barrier flat and upright at racing speed.

[Elephantman 196]

 

 

Elephantman. Just a quick question. Have you ever raced speedway ?

 

No is the short answer but a number of my good friends did. I don't quite understand why my questioning of safety standards and request for verifiable proof should cause such angst with some posters. In most other walks of life this research would have been conducted in an objective way prior to any implementation of the solution. It is clear from the lack of responses that this has not been done, although I do note Tsunami's comments; however there is a difference between a manufacturer conducting tests as part of their production/marketing effort compared to an independent test by an accredited safety organisation. I'm just a bit astonished, I guess, as safety is so important.

[oldace 1,678]

No is the short answer but a number of my good friends did. I don't quite understand why my questioning of safety standards and request for verifiable proof should cause such angst with some posters. In most other walks of life this research would have been conducted in an objective way prior to any implementation of the solution. It is clear from the lack of responses that this has not been done, although I do note Tsunami's comments; however there is a difference between a manufacturer conducting tests as part of their production/marketing effort compared to an independent test by an accredited safety organisation. I'm just a bit astonished, I guess, as safety is so important.

 

I can only assume you are on a wind up.

 

Absolutely no one in their right mind could question the safety of a "softer" landing area over a solid one in the event of impact.

 

Have a look round the swings in a public park or any school yard. Even on the streets you find scaffold tube now covered with foam.

 

Plain old common sense can be research enough in some cases

[Elephantman 196]

 

 

I can only assume you are on a wind up.

 

Absolutely no one in their right mind could question the safety of a "softer" landing area over a solid one in the event of impact.

 

Have a look round the swings in a public park or any school yard. Even on the streets you find scaffold tube now covered with foam.

 

Plain old common sense can be research enough in some cases

 

You really have missed the point and you nicely display why common sense isn't that common. In most walks of life anything to do with safety you test, test and test again, release the results and then implement. On the basis of your argument fluffy pillows would be better than air bags; what matters is how the fence absorbs the impact and captures the rider and bike; if you don't know the answers then don't comment.