EL PASO, Texas, El Paso Bikers Test Out Airbag For Motorcycle Riders

OFF THE WIRE
BY: Miri Marshall
Source: kfoxtv.com

EL PASO, Texas -- Cars have airbags, now it seems motorcyclist can have them too. KFOX got a member of the Buffalo Soldiers motorcycle club to test out the Armored Air Jacket.

The airbag for motorcycle riders comes in the form of a vest or jacket and the company said it is made of the same material used for car air bags. It has a CO2 cartridge and a rip cord. The vest or jacket fills with air when a motorcycle rider is ejected from his or her bike.

Jim Hubbard, of the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club, gave his opinion after he gave the vest a test ride to Albuquerque, N.M. He was also able to inflate the vest.

“I think it’s good. It’s got me protected all in the chest in the back. I can feel it holding my spine in place,” Hubbard said. “It’s very thin. It doesn’t feel cumbersome or anything like that. I barely knew it was on, full movement of my arms, no issue with the wear of it at all.”

Jim only had one concern.

“One problem I would see with it is in the percentage of accidents where you don’t separate from your bike, maybe if a car hits you from the side and you just fall straight over, maybe end up underneath your motorcycle,” Hubbard said.

So far in the city of El Paso this year, seven people have died from motorcycle accidents and one person died from injuries in a motorcycle accident in the county.

For more information on the Armored Air Jacket you can visit www.armoredairjackets.com.