Two new overseas studies have indicated that anti-lock brakes can reduce motorcycle crashes and lead to reductions in fatalities and serious injuries.

Conducted by the US-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the research involved a study of fatal motorcycle crashes, plus an analysis of insurance claims by researchers at the affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

Swann Insurance, Australia's leading motorcycle insurer, welcomes the studies, which show that fatal crashes were reduced by 38% and all collision claims by 19% when motorcycles were equipped with ABS. The findings support Swann's call in November 2007 for motorcycles to be equipped with more car-like primary safety features.

"Swann's Motorcycle of the Future" concept, released with the support of 2007 MotoGP Champion Casey Stoner, incorporated ABS, Traction Control and other primary safety features. Its publication in international insurance forums by Swann's Sydney Research Centre stimulated the IIHS and HLDI to undertake this latest study in motorcycle primary safety.

The IIHS notes that stopping a motorcycle in an emergency is more complicated than stopping a car. For one thing, front and rear wheels typically have separate brake controls. Both underbraking and overbraking the front and rear wheels contribute to crashes. In an emergency, a rider faces a split-second choice to brake hard, which can lock the wheels and cause a motorcycle to overturn, or to hold back on the brakes and risk running headlong into the emergency.

This is when anti-lock brakes can help. They reduce brake pressure when they detect impending lockup and they increase the pressure again when traction is restored. Brake pressure is evaluated multiple times per second, so riders may fully brake without fear of locking the wheels.

"Anti-lock brakes are beneficial on motorcycles because 2-wheelers are so much less stable than cars, and it's this instability that contributes to so many crashes," Adrian Lund, President of both IIHS and HLDI, points out. "By reducing wheel lockup during braking, anti-lock brakes keep a lot of motorcycles from overturning."

"Anti-lock brakes are relatively recent additions to motorcycles. They are often offered as optional equipment, which means buyers have to find models on which the option is available and then pay extra for it. We would like to see more motorcycles fitted with anti-lock braking systems as standard equipment," says Stuart Chapman, General Manager of Swann.

Stoner played an integral role in Swann's Motorcycle of the Future concept, which shows that it is possible to design exciting and dynamic motorcycles that incorporate state-of-the-art safety features.

Swann Insurance is the exclusive Australian sponsor of the MotoGP superstar, with both sharing a common goal to improve motorcycle safety.

"Anything which increases safety for motorcyclists is valuable." Stoner said. "Road safety is something everyone must take responsibility for and I'm proud to be working with Swann to encourage more motorcyclists to think safety on and off the roads," he said.

Swann Insurance is one of Australia's leading providers of motorcycle insurance and has been insuring motorcycles for over 40 years. Swann currently distributes insurance products through over 300 motorcycle dealers across all states and territories. Swann is the insurance partner of leading motorcycle manufacturers in Australia and underwrites products under the brands of Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda. Swann Insurance is part of Insurance Australia Group.

Robert McDonald