The studies found Insurance losses are “21 percent lower, and fatal crash rates are reduced 38 percent for motorcycles with antilock brakes compared to those without”.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety “The importance of equipping bikes with antilocks increases as motorcycling proliferates. Motorcycle sales more than tripled from 1997 to 2005. Deaths of motorcyclists have more than doubled since 1997, with some kinds of bikes having much higher death rates than others (see Status Report, Sept. 11, 2007; on the web at iihs.org). About 5,000 motorcyclists died in crashes last year.

The new study of fatal motorcycle crashes was conducted by Institute researchers,
while the analysis of insurance claims is by researchers at the affiliated Highway Loss
Data Institute (HLDI). Adrian Lund is president of both organizations”.

“Even though adding antilocks won’t make motorcycling as safe as going by car, it’s something manufacturers can do to reduce the risk of traveling on 2 wheels instead of 4,” Lund says. “It’s a way to reduce the chances of overturning a bike and crashing, so it can save lives among people who choose motorcycles for their basic transportation, to save on gasoline, or just for fun.”

When antilocks are needed: Stopping a motorcycle is trickier than stopping a car. For one thing, front and rear wheels typically have separate brake controls. Both under braking and over braking the front and rear wheels contribute to crashes (see Status Report, June 21, 1979). In an emergency, a rider faces a split-second choice to brake hard, which can lock the wheels and cause a motorcycle to overturn, or to hold back on the brakes and risk running headlong into the emergency. This is when antilocks can help. They reduce brake pressure when they detect impending lockup and about to be struck from behind, for example. But the new studies indicate that antilocks reduce crashes overall and save lives.

Crash reduction benefit: The HLDI study compares insurance losses under collision coverage for 12 motorcycle models with optional antilock brakes versus the same models without this option. The researchers evaluated the effects of antilock brakes on both the frequency of insurance claims that are filed for crash damage and the average cost of the damage, after accounting for rider age and gender, motorcycle age, and other factors that influence the likelihood of a crash”.

Visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website to read full article.

Sources:

HLDI bulletin (PDF): Motorcycle Antilock Braking System (ABS)

Research paper (PDF): Effectiveness of antilock braking systems in reducing fatal motorcycle crashes

Parrots SK4000, a Bluetooth®-enabled helmet headset is said to bring comfort and ease of use to motorcyclists. The kit features an FM RDS radio and wireless mobile remote control.

Parrot, who was one of the very first companies to produce Bluetooth® based wireless hands free car kits, says their new offering, the Parrot SK4000, uses innovative noise reduction and echo cancellation technology and provides the widest range of features available in this market segment.

“Motorcyclists can now switch between their favorite songs — whatever the format — and answer calls with the clip-on wireless remote fixed to the motorcycle’s left handlebar”. The Parrot SK4000 offers the motorcyclist the ability to listen to streaming music via Bluetooth A2DP, or on the FM radio (RDS inside) or from analog sources via its mini-USB line-in connector.

The Parrot SK4000 uses Parrot’s new multi-speaker voice recognition software, which eliminates the need to record voice tags: the kit will recognize the contact’s name spoken by whoever is using the kit and will dial the number automatically. In addition, the unique Text-to-Speech (TTS) voice synthesis feature reads contact names from the user’s phonebook through the earpiece and will audibly identify radio stations to help the user select a station without taking his hands of the handlebar.

”With simplicity in design, the Parrot SK4000 upgrades a standard motorcycle helmet to a multifunctional wireless hands-free kit,” says Ed Valdez, president and COO of Parrot, Inc. “With nearly 6 million motorcycles in use throughout the US, the Parrot SK4000 enables their riders to enjoy convenient phone communication and wireless music either from their own digital files or from the radio station of their choice.”

The Parrot SK4000 kit mounts easily in most motorcycle helmets and its rechargeable lithium ion battery provides 10-hours of talk time. The handlebar mounted wireless remote control allows the driver to select the sound source, handle calls and choose music. The kit also has automatic volume setting, which adjusts to the surroundings and automatic phone book synchronization to allow for voice-activated dialing.

Like all Parrot car-kits, the Parrot SK4000 is compatible with virtually all Bluetooth mobile phones on the market.

If you happen to be in Las Vegas during the next few days, you can see the SK4000 in action at the world’s largest consumer electronics tradeshow. (You may also get a chance to hear Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates deliver the pre-show keynote speech in the Venetian, Palazzo Ballroom)… If, like most of us, you’re no where near Nevada, then you’ll have to wait for the product’s official release which is said to be sometime in the second quarter of 2008.

The product is expected to retail for $189.99.

For more information, visit the Parrot website at www.parrot.com

Related Links:

CES International (Shows)
Consumer Electronics Association

Seattle is a leader in emergency medicine. We know that every minute counts when it comes to saving lives,” said Nickels. “Motorcycles present an opportunity to ensure our paramedics arrive as quickly as possible – even in heavy traffic.”

The demand for emergency medical services in Seattle has grown by 31 percent over the past 13 years. During that same period, the city’s population and traffic congestion has increased. With 63 miles of construction scheduled in the downtown area alone over the next two years, the city is looking at innovative ways to quickly reach critically ill patients.

The motorcycle medic team will consist of two firefighter paramedics on separate motorcycles outfitted with life-saving equipment. The motorcycles will carry everything that a medic unit carries, such as defibrillator’s and cardiac drugs, but in smaller quantities. Under the pilot program, motorcycle medics will be deployed in the downtown area where medical calls have increased by 46 percent over the past seven years. This additional resource in the downtown area will allow other medic units to remain in their own districts in the north and south ends of the city.

“The job of the motorcycle medics is to evaluate patients, coordinate hospital transport when needed and quickly move on to another medical response. We are always looking for ways to provide better service to our community and motorcycle medics have the potential to make a big difference in our emergency response capabilities,” said Fire Chief Gregory Dean.

Seattle plans to lease four motorcycles during the two-year pilot. Each motorcycle medic will undergo intensive safety training. The mayor has budgeted $570,000 for the program, which covers the motorcycle leases, equipment, training and staffing costs. By contrast, a standard medic unit costs $1.3 million annually to operate – approximately twice as much as the pilot program. In addition, motorcycles are more fuel efficient than standard medic unit.

Motorcycle medic teams are a growing trend for fire departments nationwide. Miami, Pittsburgh, Nantucket, Daytona Beach and Taylor, Mich., use motorcycle medics. Motorcycles are also used to deliver emergency medical services throughout Great Britain, Asia and the Middle East.

Source: Seattle.Gov

Touting a lifetime warranty, exclusive Climashield™ Plus fabric protection, double stitched seams and special Color-Lok® non-fade fabric treatment, DowCo’s Guardian Weather-All Plus is truly a cover for all condition’s.

This heavy duty cover sports other exclusive features such as sewn-in pockets that allow the use of DowCo’s Guardian Alarm, which emits 130db when the cover is removed, and DowCo’s Moisture Guard™ vent system to help moisture escape.

The windshield liner is soft and plush and the shock-corded hem keeps the cover tight to the bike. Strategically placed and reinforced grommets allow for the use of cable locks for extra security.

Aluminized heat panels allow immediate use after riding. Although you must wait for the pipes to cool before using the under bike straps

Fully waterproof and designed for both indoor and outdoor use, the cover also comes with a zippered storage bag. However, like most heavy-duty covers, this one is a bit bulky and takes up too much valuable storage space.

Luckily, DowCo has developed an optional cover compression tool that reduced the packed size of our test cover to that of a lightweight cover (see photo below).

The tool is actually a bag made from tough lightweight polyester and uses four cinch straps and two compression pockets to squeeze the cover to its minimum size. Amazingly simple, yet effective!

Superb functionality and the storability of a lightweight cover – thanks to the optional compression tool – Now there is no excuse to settle for anything less.

Center of photo shows the Guardian Weatherall Plus reduced in size by the DowCo compression tool. For comparision, on the left is a light weight cover and on the right is the Guardian WeatherAll Plus in the supplied storage bag.

See related articles – Selecting a Motorcycle Cover
Motorcycle Covers – Cost vs. Quality
.

Visit the DowCo Website