The number of powered two-wheelers continues to rise, due to widespread urbanization and the practicality of powered two-wheelers. Today, many scooters and motorcycles are equipped with advanced safety systems, such as ABS (Antilock Braking System) and ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation), and the addition of airbags will be a further step in this direction. Powered two-wheeler riders have not benefited to the same extent as car occupants from the many developments in vehicle safety.

"Autoliv is committed to our vision of Saving More Lives and to providing world class life-saving solutions for mobility and society. Therefore, we are developing products that specifically protect vulnerable road users, such as riders of powered two-wheelers. The development of these products is an integral part of our sustainability agenda," said Mikael Bratt, CEO and President, Autoliv.

The bag-on-bike airbag - a complete airbag system

Autoliv's extensive research into powered two-wheeler riding behavior and crashes has resulted in two sets of solutions - on-vehicle safety solutions and on-rider safety solutions. The first product to reach the market will be the bag-on-bike airbag, which is planned to go into production with the first customer in 2025.

"Our goal is to offer a complete and cost-efficient bag-on-bike system to facilitate the introduction of this technology for a wide variety of motorcycles. The Autoliv bag-on-bike airbag system will include an airbag and an optional in-house-developed electronic crash sensor to complete the system," said Jordi Lombarte, Chief Technical Officer, Autoliv.

Evolving safety regulations for powered two-wheelers

"To reach the global target of halving road traffic fatalities we need to increase the safety for powered two-wheeler riders. Through working with real life data, we understand the most frequent crashes and injury types and how to assess them in a laboratory environment. Through virtual and physical testing, we have demonstrated the benefit of the airbag in frontal crashes, and we acknowledge that there is a need for additional solutions to cover more crash situations and rider behaviors," said Cecilia Sunnevång, Vice President Research, Autoliv.

The safety of motorcycle riders is the focus of many regulators and consumer crash test organizations. Euro NCAP is targeting enhanced motorcycle rider safety by expanding vehicle crash avoidance testing to include powered two-wheeler crash scenarios. In Asia, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) indicates that the rating of on-vehicle safety solutions will be adopted in 2024 in their Malaysian Motorcycle Assessment Program (MyMAP).