Motorcycle ABS

Munich – The ADAC, the leading German automobile
association, has presented Bosch with the “Gelber Engel”
(yellow angel) award for its new motorcycle ABS (antilock
braking system). In awarding its first prize in the “Innovation
and Environment” category, the judges paid tribute to the
great road-safety potential offered by this new Bosch de-
velopment. At a ceremony in Munich on January 14, 2010,
the award was presented to Dr. Werner Struth, the president
of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division. “The system's
cost-optimized design makes it affordable for all classes of
motorcycle for the first time,” Struth said. “In this way, we are
helping to make this life-saving technology widely available as
quickly as possible.” This year’s award is the third time Bosch
has been singled out for this highly regarded innovation prize,
which has been awarded annually since 2005.

Studies demonstrate life-saving potential
Experts regard the antilock braking system as a huge boost
to safety. A study published by the German Federal Highway
Research Institute (BASt) in 2008 concludes that there would
be 12 percent fewer fatalities if all motorcycles were equipped
with ABS. Indeed, a study published by Vägverket, the Swedish
highways authority, in October 2009 suggests that the system’s
effectiveness is even higher: it concludes that 38 percent of all
accidents involving personal injury and 48 percent of all serious
and fatal accidents could be prevented with the help of ABS.

This active safety system allows motorcyclists to brake safely
in critical situations without locking the wheels, and without having to fear an inevitable fall. Braking distance is also re- duced considerably. Up to now, only every tenth new motor- cycle manufactured in Europe is equipped with this system. Worldwide, the figure is only every one-hundredth bike. By
way of comparison, the figure for passenger cars worldwide
has now reached 80 percent.