- Toyoda Gosei is working on an airbag developed specifically for motorcycles.
- It recently completed a crash test showing the airbag worked as expected.
- In 2023, 6,335 motorcyclists died in the US, the highest toll in nearly 50 years.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that airbags have saved approximately 50,000 lives over the course of 30 years. That’s great news, but motorcyclists have been missing out.
That could change as Toyoda Gosei is working on a new airbag designed specifically for motorcycles. The company said they leveraged their expertise in automotive safety systems and are aiming for an “early market launch.”
More: Watch An Airbag Vest Do Its Job During Motorcycle Crash
The timeframe is hazy, but work on the airbag is well underway and the company recently conducted a crash test using real vehicles. The firm didn’t release footage, but images show a bike was crashed into the front door of a Honda.
The airbag appears to have deployed as intended as one of the pictures shows the safety device inflated shortly after impact. This should absorb some of the energy from the crash, which should improve rider safety.
While Toyoda Gosei didn’t say much about the airbag, the company noted roughly 360,000 two- and three-wheel riders die each year due to traffic accidents. Given that statistic, the supplier is focused on launching an “airbag with high protection performance that can be fitted in the limited space of motorcycles.”
The company is reviewing the results of the crash test and said they’ll be using simulations as well as real-world tests to create airbags that can “overcome the difficulties of protecting motorcycle riders.” This is easier said than done as motorcyclists face unique safety challenges.
In the United States, 6,335 motorcyclists were killed in 2023. That was the highest number in nearly 50 years and the government noted “motorcyclists were about 28 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a motor vehicle crash and were 5 times more likely to be injured.”
