The Real Reason Why Nobody Uses Motorcycle Airbags

Vanity, it seems. Motorcyclists like to look cool when they ride and for many, that means choosing not to wear high-visibility clothing or other forms of PPE including gloves, helmets, jackets, pants, and boots, let alone airbags-equipped PPE. Motorcyclists also complain about PPE getting too hot in summer and being uncomfortable, as this Reddit thread on the subject demonstrates. The price of specialized PPE can also be a deterrent, especially for motorcyclists who ride because filling a full-sized vehicle with gasoline isn’t cheap. 

The NHTSA undertook research into motorcyclists’ attitudes towards PPE (PDF) and has a few suggestions to encourage widespread use. This includes making motorcycle PPE more appealing while incorporating more high-visibility design elements, providing financial incentives like insurance discounts, and bolstering educational messaging.

Airbag-equipped motorcycles are still relatively rare and expensive. Airbag-equipped wearable gear was, at first, sort of expensive — but as time goes on, the price and styling of airbag-equipped motorcycle gear inches closer to a place where the average motorcyclist can get onboard. While it’s still fairly common to see a motorcyclist riding without proper protective gear on the highway today, the age of the dangerously unsafe and unprotected motorcyclist might not last forever.