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Motorbike riders are especially vulnerable on the road, and improving motorbike safety is a constant priority. But making popular riding routes safer for riders doesn’t have to be time consuming and expensive – you can get immediate results for riders and also benefit drivers.
OmniGrip HF is Australia’s leading High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST), giving motorbike riders the additional friction they need to stay upright on curves and in turns, and to stop faster when its needed most. HFST reduces the likelihood of any crash, and it reduces the severity of those that do occur.
What is a High Friction Surface Treatment?
High Friction Surface Treatment (HFST) is a thin coating applied to an existing road surface. Australia’s leading HFST, OmniGrip HF, has been used on Australian roads for more than 20 years. Its durable surface texture is made from calcined bauxite.
Calcined bauxite in HFST is unique in road surfacing materials in that the rubber of vehicle tyres effectively stick to it better than other road surfaces. This ‘grippiness’ comes about from properties of the calcined bauxite itself, as well as its size and the strength of the resins that bond it to the underlying road surface when used in OmniGrip HF. There’s strong scientific and statistical evidence that it works.
Studies and track tests show that when emergency braking, vehicles stop about 30% faster on calcined bauxite surfaces.
What evidence is there that it reduces crashes & improves motorbike safety?
There’s significant, statistically sound, studies that calcined bauxite HFST reduces crashes. Although HFST originated in the UK in the 1960’s, the US is the largest user of it today. In recent years, the US Federal Highways Administration has funded several HFST programs, with positive evaluations.
For example, one study of nearly 200 sites found an 83% reduction in wet-road crashes on curves and a 72% reduction in run-off-road crashes on curves. See our HFST information and resources to help you ensure design and specify your high-risk site for OmniGrip HF.
The US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration’s Motorcycle Safety Noteworthy Practices: Infrastructure and Engineering guidelines refers to HFST for motorcycle safety on curves. The note gives the example of Tunk Hill Road where Rhode Island DOT installed HFST which reduced motorcycle crashes from one per year, for five years, to none.
Why is HFST better than a Crash Barrier?
It’s quite simple really – HFST is about keep riders upright, on the road, in their lane. It is a crash prevention treatment.
Crash barriers don’t prevent crashes. They reduce the severity of most (but not all) crashes that occur. A collision with a barrier is still a crash in which a rider or driver will be injured and could be killed.
Crash barriers are also very expensive to maintain, and the period in which wire rope barriers are damaged means there is no protection for other road users.
Reduced Risk of Collisions with Barriers
High-risk areas like bends and along rural roadsides often have crash barriers, including wire rope barriers, on the roadsides and centre of the road.
Unfortunately, these barriers can be unforgiving in the event of a skid or loss of control for a motorcyclists, particularly the many poles for wire rope barriers.
OmniGrip HF’s increased friction can help prevent these situations entirely. By allowing for shorter stopping distances and better control, OmniGrip HF reduces the likelihood of riders colliding with barriers, or reduces impact speeds, mitigating potential injuries. If you have repeated collisions with your barriers at the same location, then OmniGrip HF as a crash prevention treatment could be the answer.
Learning how to specify Coloured Surface Treatments goes a long way to determining whether a compliant, durable, coloured safety surface is achieved.
Enhanced Safety on Wet Roads and Curves
Wet roads are a major concern for motorcyclists. OmniGrip HF offers excellent performance in these conditions. The textured surface helps riders and drivers retain grip. This improved traction allows riders to maintain control while maneuvering through corners and bends, especially on wet or rainy days and on those damp spots in the mountains and hills where runoff crosses the road surface.
Shorter Stopping Distances = Reduced Collision Risk
A key benefit of OmniGrip HF is that better grip with the road surface leads to shorter braking distances in both dry and wet conditions. Every metre less that it takes to stop, or every milli-second, might prevent a crash or reduce the severity of one that occurs.
The Power of Calcined Bauxite
OmniGrip HF utilises calcined bauxite as its primary aggregate. Calcined bauxite is known for its exceptional hardness and resistance to polishing – the wearing smooth of road surfaces from the passage of thousands of vehicle tyres. This translates to a surface that maintains its high friction properties for extended periods, even under heavy traffic conditions.
A section of OmniGrip HF on Melbourne’s Nepean Highway was tested for skid resistance at 17 years of age and found to still be compliant to Department of Transport & Planning’s specification for High Friction Surface Treatment, Standard Section 430.
Compared to traditional aggregates, calcined bauxite offers significantly improved skid resistance, as evidenced by its high Polished Stone Value (PSV) which is around 75, compared to 48-60 for most natural stones. Calcined bauxite is the world’s preferred aggregate for HFST.
Austroads & state specs recognise the benefits
Recognising the life-saving potential of HFST with calcined bauxite, Australian road authorities have established specifications for its use. Guidelines like the ARRB “Guide to Good Practice for High Friction Surfacing Treatments” outline situations where HFST using calcined bauxite is recommended. This includes high-risk areas such as small radius curves, and sections prone to wet weather or wet surfaces such as water runoff.
Fast and Effective Implementation
A major advantage of OmniGrip HF is its ease of application. Unlike major roadworks projects, OmniGrip HF is a thin overlay that can be applied quickly with minimal disruption to traffic flow. This allows for targeted safety improvements on specific high-risk sections of roads, making it a cost-effective and fast solution. No lengthy, expensive and complex design is required, and once applied, it starts working immediately. You can make a high risk or unsafe road section safe within a day.
Make motorbike riding safer
By implementing OmniGrip HF on high-risk roads, and where crash barriers are already being hit, the road will be safer for riders and drivers. Reduced stopping distances, improved traction in wet conditions, and better control on curves all contribute to a significant decrease in motorcycle crashes and rider injuries.
OmniGrip HF is a proven solution that will make a real difference for motorcyclists, and it has been recommended by road safety auditors that also ride motorcycles (for example, on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road).
For further information on OmniGrip HF and its benefits, contact us today.
