Motorcycles are incredibly vulnerable on roadways. Not only are they small and difficult to see, which can easily lead to accidents, but they also offer no protection to riders.
Severe injuries and even death are common for riders in accidents. Recent inventions seek to help protect riders with wearable airbags.
The innovation could save lives
Wearable airbags are like jackets that contain an airbag. There are sensors that will signal the airbag to deploy when a crash occurs. They work just like the airbags in a vehicle, providing cushion and protection for a rider’s body when it lands on the road or other surfaces.
Effectiveness of these airbags
A study looked into how effective these airbags are at protecting riders and if they are worth using. This is an older study and had a limited scope. It only looked at systems that use sensors on the bike instead of those with sensors in the jacket.
The findings, though, are encouraging. The research suggested that these airbags are best in lower-speed collisions, but they did offer some additional protection. However, the study revealed it highly depends on the speed and the reaction time of the jacket. Still, those are factors that manufacturers can improve upon.
The encouraging results here are that airbags are a potentially lifesaving invention. With further work, it is possible for them to become incredibly valuable for motorcycle riders, and people seem to be on board with using them as they are becoming a popular safety option choice.
