Safety advancements are always in the works for vehicles and motorcycles alike. One of the advancements that came out years ago for cars and trucks was anti-lock brakes. Companies found adding this feature helped save thousands of lives and reduce the number of serious motorcycle injuries. The same attempts haven’t been made in the bike world—until now. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is pushing for all motorcycle manufactures to include anti-lock brakes on all new bikes built. According to them, this will help save lives. The debate has become heated on both sides of the fence.
Safety researchers at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety have found that motorcycles with anti-lock brakes were 38 percent less likely to be involved in a fatal crash. Their reasoning is due to the fact that braking on a bike is a much more difficult task than in a car or truck. Therefore, if the braking system were able to relieve some of the work, it would help the rider prevent a fatal crash. The difficulty with braking comes in when the rider is forced to operate the front and rear brakes independently. If the process is done incorrectly, it can actually cause more problems and possibly a worse outcome. This could lead to a tragic and fatal Pennsylvania motorcycle accident.
The Institute found that out of the eight types of motorcycles they studied without anti-lock brakes, there was a 2.2 percent increase per 10,000 accidents that lead to fatal crashes. They also found in a follow up study that the anti-lock brakes reduced collisions by 21 percent overall.
As with all debates, there are two sides to this issue. The other side of the argument comes from the biker world. Many avid riders argue that there hasn’t been enough research done to prove the need for all bikes to have anti-lock brakes. One of the problems bikers have with the possible requirement is the added cost. The anti-lock braking system is estimated to add an additional $1,000 to the overall motorcycle price. The other part of their argument is that it’s not about an added brake system that will help reduce fatal accidents. The problem is a lack of skill and experience. Everything comes down to the type of road and the experience of the rider.
There seems to be evidence on both sides of the debate. Regardless of which side of the argument you find yourself on, there is always a chance of being seriously injured in a Culpeper motorcycle accident. If this happened to you or someone close to you, there is help. Attorneys at Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas are here to talk to you and help guide you so you can get the best outcome.
