Connected Cars? Been There, Done That. But is a Connected Motorcycle In Your Future?

Vehicle Communication Chipset Maker Autotalks Joins Industry Consortium on a Mission to Minimize Motorcycle Accidents

Photo: Rainmaker47 (posted to Wikimedia Commons)

The penetration of safety-related tech into cars, such as lane-departure warning and collision avoidance systems, is increasingly familiar to motorists. Evidence suggests that these systems are producing good results. Research by the Institute for Highway Safety, for example, finds that automotive safety technology has reduced accidents due to lane-change issues by 14 percent and injuries associated with these incidents by 23 percent.

But what about technology to reduce risk to motorcycle drivers, who, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are 26 times more likely to have a fatal accident?

The Connected Motorcycle Consortium (CMC), a collaboration between manufacturers, suppliers, researchers and associations to make motorcycles part of the future of connected mobility, has made the effort to put high tech to work to increase motorcycle safety part of its core mission.

Founding members of CMC include BMW Motorrad, Honda and Yamaha, and other member motorcycle manufacturers include Ducati, Kawasaki, KTM and Suzuki. And now, CMC has the collaboration of Autotalks, a V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication chipset manufacturer that recently joined the consortium.