Cars are smart or getting there, why not motorcycles?

On behalf of Kisling, Nestico & Redick posted in Motorcycle Accidents on Thursday, December 17, 2015.

The answer to the question posed in our headline is that they can be. And if the Connected Motorcycle Consortium has its way, they will be — starting in 2020.

Ohio readers may be wondering just what we are talking about here and wondering, too, why it’s getting attention on a personal injury blog focused on motor vehicle accidents. The answer to those questions is that the issue has to do with motorcycling safety. That’s something we are seriously interested in.

Like everyone else, we would like to see instances of serious or fatal injury reduced to the greatest extent possible. At the same time, we recognize that accidents do happen and that victims of crashes caused by other drivers’ negligence deserve the benefit of experienced counsel in any legal proceedings that might be required to seek compensation and recovery.

What the CMC has in mind is to collaborate in developing technology for bringing Cooperative-Intelligent Transport Systems applications to the motorcycling public. For those who may still be in the dark, C-ITS is that realm of technology that connects vehicles wirelessly and allows them to sense each other and even take action to avoid crashes.

Such vehicle-to-vehicle communication is recognized as very beneficial in reducing traffic congestion and improving driving safety. But right now, the capabilities are limited to cars and trucks. The technology has to be specifically miniaturized to work on motorcycles and specific algorithms need to be written because motorcycles don’t maneuver the same on the road as cars and trucks.

Three major motorcycle makers, BMW Motorrad, Honda and Yamaha, currently anchor the consortium. But they hope to engage others in the effort to drive quicker standardization of technologies.

Industry observers say motorcycle makers are picking up the pace in adopting such safety systems as antilock brakes, adjustable traction controls and navigation and that it’s time to focus on these other elements of safety.

It will be interesting to see what comes if the effort.

Source: SAE.org, “BMW, Honda and Yamaha form Connected Motorcycle Consortium,” accessed Dec. 15, 2015