The FINANCIAL -- Starting from 2016, antilock braking systems (ABS) will be introduced as
standard equipment for an increasing number of motorcycles in the EU.
At the beginning of March, the European Union passed legislation to this effect, with the objective of further reducing traffic accident figures. As Robert Bosch GmbH said, in 2011 alone, around 5,000 motorcyclists were killed on Europe's roads. “A standard-fit ABS can prevent more than one-quarter of all motorcycle accidents with personal injuries,” is how Gerhard Steiger, president of the Bosch Chassis Systems Control division, sums up the findings of a Bosch accident study.
Bosch has been manufacturing antilock braking systems for motorcycles since 1994 and has sold around 750,000 systems to date. In 2010, the supplier of technology and services launched a generation of ABS designed specifically for motorcycles. Since then, it has been continuously developing additional functions aimed at improving the system's performance. In 2010, the German Automobile Association ADAC singled out the system's contribution to enhancing safety by awarding it the Yellow Angel prize in the “Innovation and Environment” category.
Enhanced safety for all motorcycle classes -- According to the new EU legislation, it will be mandatory to fit an antilock braking system to all motorcycles that have an engine displacement greater than 125 cc. As of January 1, 2016, this will apply to motorcycles that are granted type approval and, from 2017 onwards, to all newly registered models. In addition, smaller motorized two-wheelers with displacement of 50 cc or more are required to have either ABS or a combined brake system. The latter links the front and rear brakes mechanically, with the result that both wheels are always decelerated during braking. However, this solution does not regulate brake pressure – meaning the wheels can still lock. Following ratification by the European Parliament and the EU Council of Ministers, the regulation has now been published in the EU Official Journal and thus officially come into force.
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