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Motorcycle Autonomous Emergency Braking system (MAEB), is a technology that introduces also on Powered-Two-Wheelers (PTWs) the autonomous braking, which is able to apply autonomously a braking force to reduce impact speed in emergency situations. This system was shown to be possibly effective in reducing numbers of deaths and serious injuries resulting from motorcycle crashes. However, its safe applicability on standard vehicles and the acceptability among end-users has still to be proven. The goal of the study presented in this paper is to assess the acceptability and the controllability of automatic braking events deployed in realistic riding manoeuvres. Field tests were conducted involving 55 common riders as participants on three test vehicles: a naked motorcycle, a sport touring motorcycle and three-wheels scooter. The automatic braking was tested in four riding manoeuvres (straight-lane, lane-change, slalom, and curve) deployed remotely by an investigator at a travelling speed of 35-50 km/h. The system was tested with the higher levels of interventions tested so far by common users and more than 1100 interventions were recorded. The results of this study will allow having a new understanding on the limits of MAEB system.

The role of powered two-wheeler (PTW) transport from the perspective of a more sustainable mobility system is undermined by the associated high injury risk due to crashes. Motorcycle-based active safety systems promise to avoid or mitigate many of these crashes suffered by PTW riders. Despite this, most systems are still only in the prototype phase and understanding which systems have the greatest chance of reducing crashes is an important step in prioritizing their development. Earlier studies have examined the applicability of these systems to individual crash configurations, e.g., rear-end vs. intersection crashes. However, there may be large regional differences in the distribution of PTW crash configurations, motorcycle types, and road systems, and hence in the priority for the development of systems. The study objective is to compare the applicability of five active safety systems for PTWs in Australia, Italy, and the US using real-world crash data from each region. The analysis found stark differences in the expected applicability of the systems across the three regions. ABS generally resulted in the most applicable system, with estimated applicability in 45–60% of all crashes. In contrast, in 20–30% of the crashes in each country, none of the safety systems analyzed were found to be applicable. This has important implications for manufacturers and researchers, but also for regulators, which may demand country-specific minimum performance requirements for PTW active safety countermeasures.

Amongst various initiatives in the last 20 years for the improvement of the safety of any road vehicles, Autonomous emergency braking for Motorcycles (MAEB) could provide a significant reduction in the number of crashes or the mitigation of crash injury outcomes. User acceptance of this system, however, is still subjected to a number of uncertainties due to the peculiar needs of two-wheel riding. The activity proposed in this paper is inspired by the need to build a laboratory motorcycle to be used in teaching, research and learning activities. A braking device to be used for testing of remote-activated braking events in real-world conditions is presented. The device was conceived in order to be low-cost, removable and not invasive in the vehicle, since it would act on existing levers. A simple control system based on commercial components is introduced; the device targeted a deceleration of 5 m/s 2 (expected to be a safe value for most riding conditions); the system would be tested within notprofessional riders. Our results include a brief characterization of existing braking system, a description of calibration method and the discussion of data obtained during real-world testing.