New Study Finds Antilock Brakes on Motorcycles Save Lives

A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has concluded that motorcycles with anti-lock brakes are 37% less likely to be involved in a fatal collision than those without anti-lock brakes. In Europe, unlike the United States, there are pending regulations to require anti-lock brakes on all motor cycles beginning in 2016. These regulations will likely increase availability of motorcycles with antilock brake systems in the United States. Antilock brake systems both reduce brake pressure if a lock-up is imminent or increased pressure and braking again after the motorcycle is under control, allowing full braking when necessary without risk of a lock-up. While these brakes have been available on more expensive motorcycles for some time and more recently on mid-priced motorcycles, safety advocates are pushing to require them on all motorcycles. Some insurers offer discounts when insuring motorcycles with antilock brakes.

Another common motorcycle safety law, helmet use, has been unsuccessful in Iowa. The legislature repealed Iowa’s mandatory helmet law in 1976, and Iowa remains one of only three states with no helmet requirement for passengers of any age.