Motorcycle gloves: a standard for optimal safety
Are you a motorcyclist? A decree and order published on September 20 make it mandatory to wear gloves that comply with regulations on personal protective equipment and, as such, bear the CE marking. Are all gloves safe? The answer lies in standard EN 13594.
Occupational health and risks
Users of two-, three-, or four-wheeled motorized vehicles, check your gloves... and buy some if you don't already wear them! On September 20, the road safety delegation , a department of the Ministry of the Interior, drew attention to the publication in the Official Journal, on the same day, of a decree and an order making the wearing of gloves compulsory from November 20. In this case, gloves must comply with the regulations on personal protective equipment (PPE) and therefore bear the CE marking.
Are gloves mandatory when riding a scooter?
It may seem strange, but until now, wearing properly labeled gloves when riding a motorcycle (or even a scooter) was not mandatory on French roads... Unlike helmets. The decree of September 19 justifies the measure by the need to "limit serious injuries to the hands and forearms" in the event of a fall, and punishes non-compliance with a one-point deduction on the driver's license and a fine of €68.
CE marking
The decree The accompanying document states that "the gloves mentioned in the Article R. 431-1-2 of the Highway Code must comply with the characteristics of motorcycle gloves, in accordance with regulations on personal protective equipment, as certified by the CE marking. In this regard, a 1989 European directive is the authoritative reference. Among the PPE it covers is motorcycle equipment, which it classifies as "category 2" and requires to pass a laboratory resistance test in order to be approved.
The EN 13594 2015 standard
The methodology specific to this test is governed by a voluntary standard, European standard EN 13594. revised in February 2016 . Thus, among other things, the glove must offer sufficient resistance to abrasion for a very short period of time. An impact test is also required if the glove has a protective shell. The standard also sets ergonomic characteristics, such as the need to extend at least 5 cm below the wrist.
"In the event of an accident, wearing thick gloves reduces or prevents hand injuries in 95% of cases for motorcyclists and 87% of cases for moped riders," according to a statement from Road Safety (source: MAIDS – In-depth study on motorcycle accidents). And in 2015, motorized two-wheelers accounted for 43% of serious injuries in France, or more than 12,000 people, despite representing only 2% of traffic.
