2 piece may be safer than a 1 piece? ... hmmm ...

[Nixon]

Here is an interesting point to ponder! While doing some research about motorcycle rider injuries and the way they are managed in a pre hospital setting, i came across a lot of interesting information regarding the risks and the potentials for injurys for us all.

It is a well known fact that riders can suffer an open book fracture to the pelvis from direct impact on the tank. This has the potential to cause massive internal bleeding which could lead to death - very quickly!
Modern, well fitted leathers do a very effective job at immobilising the hip and stop it from further displacing - reducing the risk of blood loss so it is not advised to remove the lower section of leathers in a case of a pelvic injury.

However chest injuries are also common and bleeding into the lung can kill you just as quick, a paramedics/doctor needs to expose your chest in order to assess and ensure you have no serious injuries.

Now imagine if you are wearing a 1 piece and a para cuts off your top half, but leaves the bottom in place. This leaves no structural support arround the waist as in a 1 piece there is no need for it as the support is coming from the shape of the entire article, you cut that you will lose rigidity.

Now in the same situation if you are wearing a 2 piece and the para removes the top they don't even have to touch the bottom half, it is still offering the best possible support it can, which as it has a waist belt and is designed to support itself will offer greater protection to the hip than a dissected 1 piece.

And to be honest i can't find any real reason to chose a 1 piece over a 2 piece apart from the distrust of the zip middle (and the tart factor ). and if i distrusted the zip i would certianly distrust the rest of the seams in the suit, so that kind of flaws that argument.

What do you guys think about this? .....

[UnknownStuntm...]

you think too much.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

If what you say is true then why can you only race in a one piece suit?

Although racing injuries tend to be different from road ones.
____________________
My Flickr

[Luke_Retrofly]

I believe if they are cutting off your jacket they will more than likely cut off the the bottom half to check for injuries too.

[multijoy]

It's worth considering that if you're at the point of cutting the leathers open, you've probably got sufficient trauma managment in place to deal with the consequences of easing the pressure, including immobilisation.

Also, there's no point protecting the pelvis if the casualty is going to suffocate instead!
____________________
'11 CBF1000A, '99 C90, '98 CB500
silky666: He rode amazingly well considering his bike is the weight of a small van and had slicks on.

[Nixon]

[D O G]

[The999Kid]

[Pete.]

[The999Kid]

[Nixon]

[carlperkins00...]

I change between 1 and 2 piece.
1 piece is comfier on the bike and looks awesome.
2 piece isnt so comfy but i can walk around better, dont look as good though.
both offer good protection.

look at it this way... no matter if its a 2 piece or a 1 piece, if you break your pelvis your gonna have a little trouble. best thing is to not move and wait for an ambulance to arrive. im sure the paramedics will thoroughly assess the situation before they go tearing your leathers off, the same thing they do with your helmet.

if they dont.. well at least they will get sued.

[carlperkins00...]

[Nixon]

[Dr. DaveJPS]

well surely you are still getting support from the lower half of the leathers, unless they are massivly baggy. and also something i'm surprised hasn't been mentioned is the support your waist gets from teh kidney belt of a (good) backprotecter.

just a few ideas
____________________
"intelligent inattention is preferable to unintelligent tinkering"
www.davejps.com

[fra-zzr]

hey nixon, i just recently came of in 2 piece leathers breaking my pelvis a few times among other things, have athens access and would really be interested in the articles you mentioned,

cheers
fraser
____________________
04' Hyosung Comet Gt125
96' zzr600

[multijoy]

If belted trousers are effective, why not carry the-yet-to-be-invented-but-I'm-claiming-the-royalties-if-it-is TrouserSecurer?

A wide webbing-type belt with non-slip/adhesive/friction thing on the inside. Secure around your patient to maintain the outfit, start chopping away merrily above it...

Granted, it seems like it's a solution waiting for a problem, but that's what the internet is for

In all seriousness, though, how much pressure is needed to keep things in place? Is the effect of leathers an actual design feature, or just one of those happy coincidences?

Is there not some sort of inflatable hip splint/box thing that could be used, or am I just imaging things again?
____________________
'11 CBF1000A, '99 C90, '98 CB500
silky666: He rode amazingly well considering his bike is the weight of a small van and had slicks on.

[Nixon]

[Pete.]

[chris-red]

Do you actually ride a bike or are you a just a student nurse?



Of course track accidents are way different from road incidents.


https://www.focusedevents.com/images/pics/BCE_r6portimao.web.jpg

Notice the large grass/gravel run offs? and how you could easily be doing 160 as you approach a corner.

https://www.goodguyswearblue.com/_photos/big/London-Road-Where-I-Crashed-into-the-Drunk-Driver.jpg

Now notice the railings parked cars and side roads.


You will probably not be doing more than 60 around town on a bike, a track you could be doing 160.

There are ar more things you can hit and that can hit you on the road, there is usually very little run off and the hings you hit will be solid. On a track you have loads of run off and anything you will likely hit (apart from the ground) will probably have some kind of cushioning.
____________________
Well, you know what they say. If you want to save the world, you have to push a few old ladies down the stairs.
Skudd:- Perhaps she just thinks you are a window licker and is being nice just in case she becomes another Jill Dando.
WANTED:- Fujinon (Fuji) M42 (Screw on) lenses, let me know if you have anything.

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

As Geri says 1 pieces are specified on track because from an abrasion and burst point of view they are stronger. At all points during the actual crash they are safer.

I'm not even sure the pelvis example is true on the track. It's certainly not hugely common.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the broken pelvis occurs when you fly over the front of the bike, but your legs are restrained by the tank. The most common way for this to happen would be in a head on with a car, as there are no cars on track it's rather a moot point.

Perhaps one piece leathers need an internal belt that could be fastened before riding and thus providing the support you need.
____________________
My Flickr

[T.C]

I covered this subject some considerable time ago (the original is in the history files somewhere) where, based on 25 years and 20,000+ motorcycle accident investigations, and working with SATRA and other bodies, I wrote about why two piece is safer on the road over a 1 piece which is a requirement for racing.

I still stand by this observation, and since I wrote the original paper, I have looked atr a further 7,500 bike accidents, and riders in two piece suits in ROAD accidents usually come out of it better than those in 1 piece.

But regardless of whether it is 1 piece or 2 piece, the biggest problem or causation of injury after the impact is the poor fit, poor quality of the garment (despite some big brand name claims) and a lack of understanding of what leather (or any other type of protective clothing) is meant to behave like in an accident.

In some areas because of some of the gimmicks, the level of protection has actually decreased, but riders are too easily brainwashed by the brand name or the salesman

So to answer the original question, for the road, 2 piece is safer than a 1 piece for all the reasons you mention, although it looks like someone has copied my original article which appeared in a number of magazines about 6 years ago.
____________________
It is better to arrive 30 seconds late in this world, than 30 years early in the next

[Pete.]

Busted pelvis isn't a terrifically common biking injury - and just as well because it's probably ythe most life-threatening bone to break. I don't really see the argument for 2-piece giving pelvic support anyway, as the typical 2-piece leather trousers belt-line is higher than normal trousers/jeans and around your waist not your pelvis anyway.

Unless you're going for 'anti-fit' like you see in the adverts that is
____________________
a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Do these anti-fit leathers come with a flap so you can show off your boxers too?
____________________
My Flickr

[sickpup]