UNITED STATES—Technology grows increasingly smarter as people embrace smart homes, smart appliances, and other similar technologies designed to make life more convenient and safer. Recent innovations in motorcycle technology can also make your ride smarter and safer than ever before. Here are seven tech advances that have recently caught our attention.
Advances in Motorcycle Technology
Motorcycles and their accessories are getting so intelligent that your mom can relax a bit when you take your cycle out for a spin or join your club on a quick run to display your colors. Seven of the best ways technology is making motorcycling safer include the following advances.
- Clothing with Built-in Airbags
One serious safety shortcoming of riding a motorcycle is the lack of airbags. That’s no longer a problem because drivers can now buy custom clothing with airbag technology. Vests, jackets, and full bodysuits are designed with computers that detect accidents in much the same way as airbags in cars do. The clothing can deploy protection within milliseconds.
- Automatic Clutches
Many people avoid riding motorcycles because they are not used to operating a clutch. Most motorcycles are strictly straight-drive and require you to use the clutch to shift gears.
However, one major manufacturer and several lesser-known brands are rolling out motorcycles with automatic clutches and shifting. That’s a boon for rider safety because drivers spend less time worrying about gear shifting.
- Bikes that Can Communicate
Bikes that talk to each other using short-range Wi-Fi technology are now a reality that offers a safer operation. Modern bikes can track other vehicles, assess their speed, and alert operators when there is an incoming hazard. It is estimated that communications between motorcycles could prevent about one-third of all motorcycle accidents that occur in Germany.
- Anti-lock Brakes
New to motorcycle technology is the anti-locking brake system. The new technology works by using wheel-speed sensors to detect situations where the brakes might lock up and send your motorcycle into an uncontrolled spin.
The tech rapidly reduces and applies braking pressure many times per second to prevent the bike’s brakes from locking. The technology has proven its worth by reducing fatal crashes by an estimated 31 percent.
- Adaptive Headlights
Headlights have always been a safety concern for motorcycle rivers because motorcycles usually feature smaller headlights with reduced illumination. The small headlight can be woefully inadequate for seeing what is ahead on the road when turning dark corners or taking a turn.
Adaptive headlights are now available on some bike models, and they are also available as an aftermarket addition. These headlights deploy electronic sensors that pivot as you take corners, ensuring that the light shines where you are going.
- Tire Pressure Monitors
Overinflation and underinflation of your bike’s tires can both be dangerous. Overinflation increases the chances of blowouts, and low pressure may result in sluggish handling. Bikes now come with electronic pressure monitors so that you know when your tire pressure needs an adjustment.
- Wearing Leather and Head Protection
Despite the lack of a universal helmet law, wearing a helmet is still the top method of guaranteeing your safety in a motorcycle mishap. It seems that helmets are simple pieces of equipment, but advances in their design have made them lighter, stronger, and capable of protecting the spinal cord’s upper part.
Some of the latest protective clothing with built-in airbags also incorporates helmet. Wearing leather is a classic safety precaution that makes you look cool, resists injuries and scrapes, and insulates you from the cold air or direct sunlight.
When to Add an Attorney to Your Safety Arsenal
Safety precautions also include riding sober. According to nhtsa.gov, there were 4,985 fatalities assigned to motorcycle-related accidents in 2018. Keeping everyone safe seems to be working as the figure represents a 5 percent decrease in deaths from a year prior. Yet, motorcycles are still over-represented in road injury cases.
Hiring an experienced motorcycle accident attorney can protect you financially after a severe accident by helping you staying afloat with mounting medical debt, lost income due to time away from work, and any other out-of-pocket expenses. A law professional can fight on your behalf for fair compensation while allowing you to focus 100% on your recovery.
