If you hit a tree, yes. But just being “ejected onto the roadway”, NO. See my reply above.
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Laura Kraut has a red one for her pinque (red) jacket. I believe that the daughter of Captain Canada Ian Millar wears a red one also. They go over the jacket.
I don’t mind the look of the vest over a jacket when the color matches… something about a black vest over the colorful jumper coats or even a navy blue jacket just doesn’t do it for me!
That’s why, if I end up getting one, I’m planning to make sure it either has a compatible coat that I can wear over/zip in, or comes in a matching color. Safety is important, and the mismatched color is totally acceptable at any level! I just know myself, and I won’t wear it to show at any event where I’m likely to get nice pictures… which kind of defeats the purpose.
I’m the same way with helmets. I get the safest one I can that fits well, but the “show helmet” look is a huge factor for me as well.
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I have a ‘Helite’ air vest and wear it over my jacket and don’t really care what I look like!
The special ‘air vest’ jackets are very expensive and I just couldn’t justify the extra expense.
At 71, I wear my air vest every single ride. It’s much cooler than my old ‘Tipperary’ vest and super light weight.
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If you are convinced of this… good luck and sign your donor card.
There is a significant reason why both my husband in healthcare and my high school AP Bio teacher that was also a paramedic both call them “donor-cycles”. I know at least 5 people killed by motorcycles with at least 3 of them being motor vehicle collisions and not their fault, but nevertheless, ejected from bike and DOA. Leathers help you from being skinned alive, but it doesn’t protect your organs. My husband had to stop once on his way to the hospital. Guy on highway lost control of bike(possibly had a medical event, they’re not sure), wasn’t speeding, just traveling with his friends on a road trip, laid his bike down on the highway and miraculously wasn’t run over. Based on impact, it was looking like a 5-10% chance of survival and that was before they were confirming any internal damage.
So, bottom line, if you’re ejected off a bike with nothing like a windshield or airbag to slow your velocity, there is a very good chance, despite being closer to the ground, you will not survive the impact.
FWIW, the majority of people that I knew that died were going less than 45mph, and most were making turns with cars/RV/trucks turning into them or not yielding to their right of way. I don’t know if an air vest would have helped them or not, but I do know that the studies have shown some positive outcomes in lower speeds.
Much like riding, there are many that are skeptical or won’t risk minimal injury for the added potential protection. Funny part is that these same folks don’t seem to running to rip out their car’s airbags or cut off their seatbelts, despite the fact that they’re known to break noses, bruise faces, skin-burns, dislocated shoulders, bruised ribs, etc. With any safety devices and impact injuries, there’s alway the chances for smaller, less threatening injuries.
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Exactly.
It was the presence of, and impact with, cars cars/trucks/RVs that killed or severely injured them. Not the contact with the road surface.
That is why, other than a few months in 1976, while I was learning to ride a motorcycle, I never ride on the street. The track is MUCH better.
- No cars/trucks/RVs
- Everyone is going in the same direction (no one turning in front of you)
- Everyone is 100% focused on their riding/driving (no one “didn’t see you”)
- If you do get injured, the medics will be with you in less than 5 minutes
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I have the Helite vest which I really like, there are several jackets made to go over them (I have the Dada one). Edited to add: in jumpers I just got long sleeve show shirts in black and a vest for the vest and it looks pretty sleek.
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Yes, those are the ones I’ve seen.
I think the one Laura wears has some sort of small black panel on the sides.
I have not seen Amy as much, so I’m not sure if she has the same one.
Not sure posting a scoli film helps describe the effectiveness of an airvest? You have other deformities in your back that could or could not affect the mechanical loading during impact.
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I suggest not arguing with an experienced motorcycle racer and equestrian official.
The physics of crashes between motorcycles and horses are very different. A horse rider tends to fall in a ballistic arc most likely landing on their head or tailbone. Motorcyclists tend to go flat, unless it’s a nasty high side which can launch a rider vertically.
By the way there is a video of a motogp rider crashing at over 180mph and walking away. As @Janet l said, riding on a street is not comparable to track racing.
As Janet noted we instrumented riders from novice (2’9”) up to modern 5* (Rolex) to look at speed and its association with horse falls. Our record speed was 1,000 mpm at Advanced. We found novice riders going up to 500 mpm to average 350 mpm (hand gallop).
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What worries me about air vests is the inability to roll away from the horse during a fall (putting you at risk of being stepped on where the vest doesn’t cover you, and also I presume that the rolling motion helps to dissipate the impact on certain parts of the body), and also the rigidity it would cause along your spine, which changes the way it can react to impact.
I’m sure there are situations where it could be helpful, and other situations where it could make things worse than if no air vest were worn, and I hope that we eventually see a variety of studies or testing to demonstrate whether it works out to a net positive or net negative. Anecdotally, we can’t know what the result would have been without an air vest.
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I’m confused. Why do you think rolling away is impossible with a vest. Just curious.
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Yeah, definitely seen people roll away with an air vest. They’re not as restrictive as people seem to think.
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Maybe it depends on the person or the vest. I’ve definitely seen people who looked like a turtle on its back once they landed on the ground and before the vest deflated.
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One of the problems with these air vest discussions is that everybody immediately starts talking about eventers and riding at speed and jumping big jumps. But, people rarely acknowledge that there are distinctly different groups of air vest users (or potential air vest users) with distinctly different needs and for whom the benefits and risks are also distinctly different and are weighted differently in the assessment.
The not being able to roll away thing always comes up in any of these discussions. We have had more than one person post in response to that saying that their inflated air vest did not in any way prevent them from rolling away as soon as they hit the ground. 
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Maybe the side view is better. But these are both from the day I broke it. I just happen to also have scoliosis 
It’s true, there are many factors depending on the person and their individual body, the surface on which they landed on, velocity, etc etc etc. I always tell those factors when telling the story of my fall. I just can’t imagine it would’ve felt better or the outcome would’ve been less severe had I not had my vest on.
They do say it could make you more rigid, but I always think of car accidents and that we tense up regardless to brace for impact. I’d rather have a cushion to the blow…it certainly helped the back of my head impact having the cushion around my neck.
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I meant equestrian studies.
Horse falls vs motorcycle falls are in no way similar.
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Anecdotally I’ve heard they actually help you roll away faster!
Wasn’t there talk of some jockeys ending up in the turtle position, unable to roll away? I might be misremembering.
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Looks like an L2 pars fracture?
If so that could actually happen simply riding dressage or a sitting trot. We commonly see that from gymnasts from hyperflexing in a routine. It has little to do with impact.
It still hurts! But you may have had that fracture longer than you realize.
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