ANTILOCK BRAKES MAKE MOTORCYCLES SAFER

OFF THE WIRE
ANTILOCK BRAKES MAKE MOTORCYCLES SAFER
With motorcycle ownership skyrocketing from 4.3 million to 10.4 million over the past decade, and a corresponding increase in rider deaths and injuries, two new studies have found that equipping motorcycles with antilock brakes makes them much safer.
The studies, one by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the other by the Highway Loss Data Institute, found that bikes with antilock brakes are involved in 37% fewer fatal accidents per 10,000 registered vehicles and reported 22% fewer accident damage claims per insured vehicle year.
Stopping a motorcycle is trickier than stopping a car. For one thing, the front and rear wheels typically have separate brake controls. In an emergency, a rider faces a split-second choice to either brake hard, which can lock the wheels and cause an overturn, or hold back on braking and risk running into the emergency. This is when antilock brakes can help by reducing brake pressure when they detect impending lockup and then increasing the pressure again when traction is restored. Brake pressure is evaluated multiple times per second, so riders may brake fully without fear of locking up.
Until lately, such crash avoidance technology as antilock brakes has primarily been available only on larger, more expensive motorcycles, but they are now available on 60 new models.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is considering whether or not antilock brakes should be mandatory on motorcycles