Dear Mark

David French from MAG Ireland thankfully emailed me your reqest on crash barrier rails, to which I am pleased to respond as follows:

Yes, your concern is justified. Many guardrail designs are dangerous for motorzed two wheelers, and also for pedal cyclists. At the end of this email, you will find a report about the situation in my country, containing also figures from Germany

But first I would like to give you some update information as far as I was informed by my colleagues in other European countries:

In DENMARK they recently got wire rope safety fences (WRSF) alongside the road which, as Denmark is a famous cheese country, the motorcyclists call "cheese cutters" Get more Information from the Danish representative to the FEM: 

Willy ARENTOFT
Grastensgade 1, 3. TH.
1677 Kopenhagen V, DENMARK
tel+fax home: +45 7911 3636; tel+fax work: +45 7911 3644
For MAG UNITED KINGDOM David gave you Craig Clinche's address.

I also had some contacts to BMF. The document they faxed me is also interesting for you and is entitled "BRIEFING ON WIRE ROPE SAFETY FENCES".

In brief it shows following figures for UK (1991):
FatalSeriousSlightTotal
All motorcycle accidents65290973170241451
MC acccidests with WRSF145568137
For a good quality copy you have to ask: 

Alan BRIDGMAN
BMF safety, training and security director
54 Wrecclesham Hill
Farnham
Surrey
GU104JS, UK
Tel 01252 713876
or try to send him a fax (0181 949 6215) to BMF's central office.

Finally, as you will see later in the report, also LUXEMBURG has some experience. Therefore ask: 

Rene HILBERT
Rue Auguste Liesch
L-3474 DUDELANGE; Luxemburg
tel day:+352 57 4884222; tel night: +352 52 2660; fax:+352 52 2637
For GERMANY, Information will be given to you by: 
Steff WREDE RITTER
tel +49 511 743019; fax: +49 511 393 899
Please note that, out of the above countries, Luxemburg and Germany (and Austria ) have solid barriers, no ropes. So the problem is not so much the barrier itself but it's support post. Denmark and UK have both systems with solid rails and wire rope safety fences, which cause additional problems to the rider.

I hope to have given you a first help and I will post you more information on this item. DO NOT FORGET TO GIVE ME YOUR POST ADDRESS.

Greetings to all brothers on the other side of the globe, yours, 

Edwin
FEM/MAG Austria        Edwin Hofbauer      contact edmagvie@ping.at

Ing. Edwin Hofbauer, Oswaldgasse 11/15, A-1120 Wien, Austria, 
Tel +43 1 81768 71