Brembo Airbag Life Jacket

Italian brake-maker creates airbag-equipped riding jackets.

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Brembo has been a major player in motorcycling active safety for more than three decades, developing braking systems that set the world standard. In addition to its never-ending search for the ultimate brake system, Brembo recently started a new branch of activity fo-cused on passive safety systems intended to protect the motorcyclist in a crash.

First came helmets that included a motorized, self-adjusting latch-strap system. Now, Brembo has taken another step, producing a line of riding jackets featuring an airbag system designed to protect the wearer from major injuries involving the upper body—neck, chest, back, shoulders, arms and, partly, the head.

Brembo Life Jackets are intended mainly for urban use—the scenario in which low-to-medium-speed car-to-motorcyclist collisions are most frequent. Once aboard his or her machine, the rider must “buckle up,” securing to the bike a latch that hangs from the right side of the jacket. Thanks to a built-in acceleration sensor, the airbag will only trigger when it detects that the rider has parted company from the bike in a sudden jerk. Other-wise, a “winder” releases the strap and allows the rider to move freely and even stand up, should he or she feel the need to do so.

In the case of an accident, the built-in airbag activates in just 80 milliseconds, ensuring very effective protection against primary impact and a number of secondary ones. The air-bag deflates after 60 seconds.

Brembo created its Life Jackets in three styles for men and two styles for women, and it did so the Italian way—with great attention to appearance aided by Italian licensee Avirex. Underlining the attention to fashion, the Brembo Life Jackets were presented at the Palazzo Pitti Fashion Week in Florence, Italy’s most-important male-oriented fashion event.