Bosch's new ABS to advance motorcycle safety

Bosch has recently developed a new generation antilock braking system (ABS) for motorcycles which has the potential to prevent 38 per cent of motorcycle accidents involving personal injury and 48 per cent of those leading to fatalities, according to a study published by the Swedish highways authority. Further, a study published by the German Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) concludes that fatality rates would be reduced by 12 per cent if all motorcycles were equipped with ABS.

The lightweight, cost-optimized system developed by Bosch has received the ‘Innovation and Environment’ award from Germany-based ADAC, Europe’s largest automobile club, making Bosch the third time recipient of this award since 2005. The pioneering equipment weighs only 0.7 kilograms, features a cost-effective design, and is half the size and weight of previous motorcycle ABS systems made by Bosch. It is part of a new Bosch modular generation which was introduced in November 2009. All other ABS systems currently on the market are based on passenger-car technology.

“This new system has the potential to greatly advance road safety initiatives throughout the Middle East, which has a strong base of motorcycling enthusiasts,” said Volker Bischoff, General Manager, Robert Bosch ME.

Although the Middle East in general has a high incidence of road accidents, Saudi traffic authorities say that fatalities in the Kingdom have been decreasing since 2004 due to improved traffic laws. Motorcycle accidents in particular occur due mainly to poor driving experience and night driving with poor illumination. The introduction of new technologies such as Bosch’s new braking system would perfectly complement the government’s enforcement of stricter motorcycling laws.

The active safety mechanism used by the new Bosch product enables motorcyclists to brake safely in emergency situations without locking their wheels and significantly reduces braking distance. Only every tenth new motorcycle manufactured in Europe adopts this kind of system, while on a global scale only every one-hundredth is equipped. In comparison, around 80 per cent of passenger cars worldwide use it.

Bosch has been manufacturing brake control systems for motorcycles since 1994. Its new ABS system was designed by engineers at the company’s competence center in Japan.