When asked what they most enjoy about riding, most motorcycle enthusiasts will respond by describing the feeling of freedom they experience on two wheels. While this certainly is an invigorating feeling, it does come with risks. A motorcycle doesn’t have much protection if involved in an accident, and it doesn’t have the kind of technology that modern passenger vehicles do when it comes to accident prevention. However, that’s changing.
If you or a loved one has hit the pavement due to a careless car driver, contact a Trantolo motorcycle accident lawyer in Bridgeport. Their team of biker-friendly motorcycle accident experts will ensure that justice is served and compensation is received.
Safety Tech for Motorcycle Riders
While crash bars have been around for decades, there hasn’t been much new technology to help bikers avoid and/or survive accidents. Since motorcycles leave their riders incredibly exposed, when they’re involved in a crash, their riders can easily sustain life-altering injuries.
Fortunately for the riding crowd, the motorcycle industry has been slowly introducing more safety tech for accident avoidance and bike crash protection. Here’s some of the more promising tech to keep motorcyclists safe.
Airbag Jackets
All passenger vehicles sold in the United States must be factory-equipped with airbags. Since 1998, this has been a requirement for all new car sales. While they’re quite effective at saving lives in passenger vehicles, they don’t make much sense on a motorcycle. At the moment of impact during an accident, bikers are violently ejected from their bikes, so airbags on a motorcycle don’t make much sense.
Airbags do, however, make sense if the motorcyclist is wearing them. Along with a DOT-approved helmet, leather boots, and gloves, many bikers are now wearing airbag jackets or vests. Seconds before impact with the unkind pavement, the jacket deploys airbags that can greatly reduce injuries.
High Tech Lighting
The most common excuse drivers use after colliding with a motorcycle is that they didn’t see it. Motorcycles are a low-visibility mode of transportation, and other vehicles on the road often have difficulty seeing them. Visibility is a big part of remaining safe when on two wheels.
There’s been much advancement in lighting technology, which can help bikers become more visible during the day and at night. LED running lights can help improve a motorcycle’s chances of being seen.
Motorcycle Stability Control System
Motorcycle stability control systems, or MSC for short, constantly monitor a motorcycle’s speed and pitch. When the rider applies the front, rear, or both brakes, the MSC will apply the proper braking power. This can help bikers, especially those with limited riding experience, to brake safely. In the seconds before a possible collision, the MSC can help the bike to slow down without error.
Radar Systems for Collision Reduction
While somewhat common in passenger vehicles, radar-based assistance systems (ARAS) increasingly find their way into motorcycles. These systems provide motorcyclists with more information about their surroundings than their eyes can provide. Since bikers don’t have eyes on the back of their heads, ARAS systems constantly monitor the vehicles around a motorcyclist while providing them with an audio or visual cue of possible danger.
Forward warning collision and blind spot detection systems can significantly improve motorcyclists’ chances of avoiding crashes. Adaptive cruise control, a part of the radar-based assistance system, can automatically slow down a motorcycle if it detects the rider is advancing too quickly on a vehicle.
What To Do If Involved in a Motorcycle Accident
Even with the latest bells and whistles to help prevent motorcyclists from colliding with passenger vehicles, the sad truth is that they still occur. Motorcycle accidents can leave their victims with life-changing injuries that could take months or years to recover from. When this happens, their ability to earn a living is cut short while medical and other bills quickly go unpaid.
To recover their financial losses and other damages, it’s important to begin working with an experienced personal injury attorney. Even if the at-fault party’s insurance company offers a quick settlement, it will never be near what’s deserved. A motorcycle accident attorney has the savvy to negotiate the best possible settlement.
The Latest Motorcycle Safety Tech to Help Prevent Accidents: The Bottom Line
While equipping your ride with the latest safety tech can help prevent accidents, riding on two wheels still leaves you vulnerable to a crash. This isn’t to say that modern motorcycle technology can’t help save you from miles of road rash and broken bones. Still, the harsh reality is that motorcycle accidents aren’t always completely avoidable. Being proactive can help to prevent a crash, but there’s always the risk of an accident.
For those unfortunate victims of a motorcycle accident, they can seek justice and compensation by working with an experienced personal injury attorney. While victims are on the mend, their attorneys fight for their clients.
