Yamaha launch vision for safety: Combination of tech and training to eliminate bike fatalities

Yamaha Motor has announced the establishment of its Safety Vision which aims to reduce motorcycle fatalities and create a ‘world without accidents’.

This vision is separated into two parts – Jin-Ki Kanno, which seeks to maintain the thrill of riding – and Jin-Ki-Anzen which promotes working in tandem with the machine to improve safety skills with advancements in technology.

The company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Yoshihiro Hidaka, made the announcement during a live streamed event earlier this month.

The three key principles of the focus on safety are technology: to assist decision making and hazard recognition; skills: improving knowledge and riding ability and connectivity: increasing links to the Cloud between people and machines to provide safety feedback.

It follows the launch of the Tracer 9 GT+ tourer at this year’s Eicma show, which is the first Yamaha model to feature a radar controlled unified brake linkage system which adjusts the balance between front and rear braking dependant on the relative speed of the vehicle ahead.

The system also adjusts front and rear damping force simultaneously, said to increase safety while cornering.

The company’s focus on rider aids is, in part, a reaction to the fact that 70% of all motorcycle accidents occur within two seconds of the incident starting – too quick for humans to react.

It also marks a commitment to the Stockholm Declaration, made by the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Association (FEMA) in 2020, to reduce motorcycle fatalities by 50% by 2030.

Mr Hidaka said: “We find ourselves now on the cusp of a pivotal change in our business with the rapid developments seen with electric vehicles and digital technologies.

“As this change progresses, the cutting-edge technologies we have acquired, our wide-ranging business base as well as our ability to give form to new ideas will likely be important drivers for the next steps of Yamaha Motor’s growth.”