Ducati & apparel firm Dainese to make airbag jackets for bikes

When a motorcycle hits a car, things rarely go well for the rider. To make riding a bit safer, Ducati Motorcycles and apparel firm Dainese have teamed up to introduce what they say is the world’s first wireless airbag jacket.

While traditional airbag jackets activate by pulling a ripcord, the fully integrated Dainese system triggers wirelessly. Available on the $19,995 Ducati Multistrada 1200 touring bike, the safety system uses the onboard accelerometer and central computer to sense a crash. That activates the jacket’s “cold” technology gas generators in just 45 milliseconds, fast enough to inflate the jacket before the rider hits a car or the ground.

According to Ducati, the airbag system can reduce the chest trauma by 92 per cent and back trauma by 82 per cent. Pretty cool.