BMW has launched the first active cruise control for motorcyclists. While other manufacturers had brought cruise control to the market before, their systems were about keeping a constant speed, regardless of what the car in front was doing. You could set the system at a steady 50 mph and pile straight into the car in front that had slowed down.
The new system from BMW and Bosch alerts riders when they are too close to a moving car ahead — the technology cannot track stationary vehicles. The system decides you are too close when its automatic cruise control cannot slow you down fast enough; i.e., you need to apply some brake yourself.
Do not worry if you cannot afford the price of a brand new top of the range motorcycle. All this system is doing can be done by any motorcycle rider, on any machine. Using the 3-second rule technique, you can maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Choose an object by the side of the highway. When the car in front of you passes it, count three seconds. If you pass the mark in less than three seconds, slow down, pick another target and try again. More than three seconds is fine; less than three seconds is dangerous. If visibility is poor or the road surface is wet or slippery, extend the time gap to five or six seconds.
While this technology and the 3-second rule can reduce the risk of crashing into the back of a vehicle, most motorcycle accidents happen for other reasons.