A partnership between Bosch, Autotalks, Cohda Wireless, and Ducati has developed a prototype smart solution to help protect motorcyclists, who are reported to be 18 times more at risk of being killed in a collision than drivers. 

The company noted that there were nearly 30,000 motorcycle accidents in Germany alone last year, with 600 being fatal, and one of the main reasons for these collisions is that the two-wheelers are often overlooked in road traffic.

To minimise these accidents, Bosch has developed a solution, which establishes a motorcycle-to-car-communication to prevent nearly one-third of motorcycle accidents in the country.

Bosch board of management member Dirk Hoheisel said: “We let motorcycles and cars talk to each other, creating a digital protection shield for riders.

"We let motorcycles and cars talk to each other, creating a digital protection shield for riders."

“Through safety systems such as ABS and motorcycle stability control, Bosch has already made riding a two-wheeler significantly safer. By connecting motorcycles, we are taking safety to the next level.”

Bosch’s new technology uses WLAN standard (ITS G5) to transmit and receive data between motorcycles and cars located within a radius of several hundred metres, and exchange detailed information such as vehicle types, speed, position and direction of travel. 

The technology alerts the car or other vehicle drivers about approaching motorcycle and preparing them to adapt accordingly. The technology also notifies about the vehicles in an idle position.

Image: Motorcycle-to-car communication could prevent nearly one-third of motorcycle accidents. Photo: courtesy of Robert Bosch GmbH.