The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, ACEM, hosted its 12th annual conference, ‘The Safe Ride to the Future,’ around the issue of motorcycle safety in Europe. The annual conference, held in early September, attracted more than 150 attendees from around the motorcycle industry.
As part of the conference, ACEM and the German Road Safety Council (Deutscher Verkehrssicherheitsrat) presented a new European Training Quality Label for high-quality post-license training programs. A motorcycle training scheme run by the Royal Dutch Motorcycle Federation (KNMV) was the first one to receive the certification.
ACEM also organized an exhibition on motorcycle safety technology that featured some of the latest vehicle models launched by the industry as well as innovative safety devices such as a side view assist system, a wireless airbag jacket and an electronic windscreen.
ACEM and BMW Motorrad President Stephan Schaller said:
“ACEM members manufacture some of the most advanced motorcycles and mopeds in the world. But it is also important that motorcyclists have good riding skills and a responsible attitude on the road. This is precisely why we are partnering with the German Road Safety Council to promote the best post-license training programs across Europe.”
“Intelligent transport systems (ITS) solutions have also started to make their way into our industry. We expect that in the future vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technologies will help to reduce the risk of accidents by allowing powered two-wheelers to effectively communicate with other vehicles.”
ACEM Secretary General Antonio Perlot said:
“There are more than 36 million motorcycles and mopeds on Europe’s roads, which help to save time and money for commuters, increase urban traffic fluidity and reduce congestion.”
“Today’s discussions clearly showed that motorcycling safety is a shared responsibility, and that it is essential that vehicle manufacturers, European and national administrations and users’ organizations work together to achieve lasting safety improvements.”
ACEM manufacturing members include, BMW Motorrad, Bombardier Recreational Products, Ducati Motor Holding, Harley-Davidson, Honda Motors, Kawasaki Motors, KTM Motorrad, Kymco, MV Agusta, Peugeot Scooters, Piaggio Group, Polaris Industries, Renault, Royald Enfield, Suzuki, Triumph Motorcycles and Yamaha Motors.
More information on ACEM can be found at www.acem.eu.
