Proposal 18: Remove kneepads from safety requirements [ Revision 1 ]
Committee: Road RacingSubmitted on 2015-01-22
Status: Passed on February 05, 2015
Background
The current kneepad rules for Road Racing have not been definitively shown to prevent injuries at speed and many riders injure themselves in other locations (hips, elbows, etc.) where we don't require safety gear.
As discussed by past National and International/Unicon organizers with a lot of experience (including myself), including kneepads or not is NOT an insurance issue.
Proposal
Old:
3.3 Safety gear
Riders must wear shoes, kneepads, gloves and a helmet (see definitions in chapter 1d).
New:
3.3 Safety gear
Riders must wear shoes, gloves and a helmet (see definitions in chapter 1d). Knee pads and elbow pads are suggested optional safety gear.
Body
Including kneepads or not is only a safety issue and not an insurance issue. Because kneepads cannot be shown to definitely prevent minor and/or serious injuries, it does not make sense to include them in the requirement. Of course riders will always be allowed to ride with whatever additional safety gear they prefer.
References
See discussion.
Discussion
View Discussion
Votes on this proposal:
14 out of 19 voting members have voted.
Agree: 11, Disagree: 2, Abstain: 1.