Motorcycles have mirrored the image of daredevils for years.  Part of the excitement that accompanies riding motorcycles is embodied in the risk that comes as part of the package.

Recently, there have been many motorcycle safety technologies developed.  Most of them were adapted from safety technologies that cars have incorporated as basic features for years already.  These include, among other things, anti lock brakes, electronically adjustable suspension, and improved traction control.

Our firm’s motorcycle accident lawyers believe that safety is still the most important factor.  So we support the development of new technology that protects the motorcycle riders.

The anti lock brakes have been developed in a way as to not cause the rider panic.  Old anti lock systems on motorcycles cycled through locking and unlocking the wheels.  This action in fast repetition amounts to the rider feeling a pulsation in the entire motorcycle.  This sense of pulsation is a design defect that has panicked motorcycle riders in the past and caused motorcycle accidents.  The newly developed anti lock brakes on motorcycles also detect the amount of load on each tire at any time, so that the suspension system could be adjusted to stabilize the motorcycle itself.  This, in turn, would make the motorcycle rider calmer and more in control of the vehicle, and less like to cause pain and suffering to himself or herself because of an accident.

Another important feature mentioned was the added traction control.  Since motorcycles run on two wheels, the amount of stability and balance on a motorcycle is much less than that of a car.  When a motorcycle makes a sharp turn, the back tire sometimes loses the traction on the road and the vehicle “slips,” resulting in a motorcycle accident.   A prototype of a new motorcycle traction system can detect a slip about to occur, and it will automatically decrease the fuel outlet, so as to decrease speed and regain better traction.  There are also 7 developed modes of terrain that the traction system can detect, and adjust itself to.

The final development is the motorcycle jacket airbag.  Motorcycle airbags currently exist in one location, right in front of the windshield, and the only case in which that would make a difference is in a head-on collision.  But for all other collisions, motorcycle riders shoot out from the motorcycle with virtually no protection.  That is why a Japanese company developed a motorcycle that an airbag that travels with the rider, the motorcycle jacket.  The new airbag would inflate from the neck portion of the jacket, and surround the neck area to prevent the rider receiving a painful spinal cord injury.  This is activated when the motorcycle jacket’s tether (which is attached to the motorcycle) is pulled, which means the motorcycle rider has flown from the vehicle.  The airbag takes half a second to fully inflate, however, and the motorcycle rider could have hit the pavement and suffered a serious accident by then.  Therefore, the company is still attempting to decrease the time to inflate to a realistic tenth of a second.

Some motorcyclists are opposed to these safety features.  They may believe that the risk is part of the thrill in riding a motorcycle.  However, the changes of a motorcycle accident are great, and the human injury from it drastic, requiring years of medical treatment to fix.  Our motorcycle accident attorneys believe that motorcycle accidents may be greatly reduced by these new features, and we fully support the development of these technologies.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced motorcycle accident attorney and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.