When you think of motorcycles, traffic safety might not come to mind. With not much else than the bike and rider except for a helmet, at least in some states, there’s little room for error.
The auto parts maker partially owned by Toyota Motor wants to change that. Toyoda Gosei said it’s crash-tested an air bag for motorcycles and plans an early-market launch of the product.
The announcement comes as motorcycle fatalities are on the rise, and safety groups are looking for ways to make roads safer for riders.
Worldwide, about 360,000 riders of both powered two-wheelers and three-wheelers die in crashes each year, Toyoda Gosei said, citing World Health Organization data.
“Thus, it is working to launch an airbag with high protection performance that can be fitted in the limited space of motorcycles.”
In the U.S. alone, motorcyclist deaths rose 1% in 2023, while those among the youngest riders spiked 44%.
Toyoda tested its motorcycle air bag deployment in-house with a frontal crash scenario and is refining the technology based on the findings. It plans to continue testing and didn’t indicate a timeline to introduce a product to the market.
Toyota Motor itself hasn’t made motorcycles for decades.
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