FEMA

[NEWS]

15/11/2009
A new draft standard for protective road restraint systems has been approved by Technical Group 1 of CEN (European Committee for Normalisation). The proposal is now on its way to become a European standard.

24/11/2009
Recent data from the Swedish Road Authority shows that motorcyclists suffer disproportionately from deadly impacts with guardrails and roadside furniture, compared to other road users.

12/11/2009
Two months on, FEMA's Call for Testimonies begins to paint the real picture of guardrails-related motorcycle accidents.

24/09/2009
After five weeks, more than 170 individual testimonies have been sent. Tragic personal stories are contrasted by instances where adapted protection systems saved lives.

18/08/2009
FEMA launches an EU-wide campaign to collect as many testimonies as possible on motorcyclists' crashes against crash barriers.

19/06/2009
CEN/TC226 Secretariat is upset by FEMA's public accusations replies to FEMA that "the development of tests accepted by all and which can be performed by any of the member countries, guaranteeing that the product used in its normal conditions of use is a safe product, is an essential element of the standardization process", justifying the delay by underlining that "it is only natural that, between those who wish to accept in their country only specific products and those desirous to increase the range of exportable products, a certain number of adjustments should be needed and this has no influence on the current policies of individual member states: i.e. on the installation on a national level of existing systems."

10/06/2009
CEN's technical committee on road equipment (TC226) held its annual meeting in Berlin. The draft standard which would make guardrails safer for motorcyclists was not on the agenda for adoption. FEMA is not happy and reminds that while some participants are trying to minimize the problem and some others keep focusing on detailed but questioned criteria for testing procedures, motorcyclists keep dying on EU roads crashing against so-called protective guardrails only protecting cars, trucks and buses passengers.

3/4/2009
CEN participants proposed more than a hundred comments to the draft standard, most of them aiming at highlighting improvements to be made, but at a later stage, hence only slowing the whole process down.
What seemed clear however is that all of them, from test houses to guardrail manufacturers, from South to North, West to East of Europe, not forgetting road authorities bying those products, have now all realize what financial impact this will have on for their day-to-day business.

27/03/2009
After one year of intensive work, a draft standard is ready to be adopted. It is based on the existing Spanish standard. FEMA fully supports the draft standard proposal, calling for any other impact configurations and/or technical improvements to be considered at a later stage.

June 2008
CEN members voted a work item to improve the standard of safety barriers to take motorcyclists into account and reduce injuries and fatalities. This is a clear milestone for motorcyclists' 20-year-long fight for their safety. The best birthday present FEMA (Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations) could dream of for its 20th anniversary!

January 2007
On January 24th, the "Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations" (FEMA) was granted the liaison status with the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) Technical Committee (TC) 226 "Road equipment" as representative of motorcycle riders. Because of experience based on numerous accidents reported by its members (where guardrails did cause more severe injuries to the rider), FEMA is in a position to contribute to achieving the best possible performance requirements for standards in this field. FEMA will particularly follow the work of WG 1 "Crash barriers, safety fences, guard rails and bridge parapets".