Motorcycle makers are weighing in on the requirement of a shield or barrier between rider and passenger on a motorcycle. Here is what they say about the Bohol-model approved by the Interagency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
The Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association, Inc. (MDPPA) has come out against installing any fixed barrier or shield on motorcycles to allow tandem riding during the CoViD-19 pandemic.
The IATF-EID has earlier approved two designs for use as barrier or shield between rider and passenger on a motorcycle.
One was a design submitted by Bohol Provincial Governor Arthur Yap which uses a clear acrylic barrier held by a steel frame attached to the passenger foot pegs.
Proposed by Angkas, the other approved design is a more flexible plastic shield worn like a backpack by the rider with strategically placed hand grips for passenger.
In a press statement, the MDPPA, which counts makers and distributors of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha motorcycles, said “additional fixtures, such as the one proposed by Governor Yap, will negatively affect stability and handling of a motorcycle, thus, inevitably compromising safety of its occupants.”
The MDPPA added that this “shall be a breach of the warranty agreement between the motorcycle owner and the manufacturer.”
The motorcycle manufacturers maintain that “the wearing of at least half face helmet with closed face shield, more so together with face mask or balaclava, is already an excellent measure in preventing infection.”
It is only right for motorcycle manufacturers to have a major say in regulations that may affect the safety of their patrons. Riders must listen and take caution. Still, at the end of the day, riders have to decide on what kind of approved shield or barrier design they use when riding in tandem.