Motorcycle Safety
One of the European Union (EU) Commission’s priorities in the field of motorcycle safety is to make ABS anti-lock braking systems mandatory on all two-wheeled street bikes.
The proposal which is currently being processed by the EU will probably be approved some time this year and would become law in 2017.
This measure, which is included in a draft text that refers to new regulations for motorcycles, would affect two-wheeled street bikes with a displacement over 125cc. Data collected in 2010 shows that only 16% of all the motorcycles manufactured in the EU were equipped with an ABS anti-lock braking system.
According to the data and studies carried out into road safety, the ABS anti-lock braking system substantially improves motorcycle safety. Accoding to the numbers, it reduces the braking distance and the number of crashes as it prevents the wheels from locking while braking in an emergency, helping avoiding the most typical accidents involving motorcycle riders.
The improvement in motorcyclist safety, one of the most fragile on the roads, would be a big boost in the fight to lower the accident rate on European roads where two-wheeled street bikes are disproportionately represented.
For instance, the number of motorcycle riders killed on Spanish roads in 2009 was over 590.
