Some may remember the fuss that BMW made about not selling helmets in the US, supposedly out of fear of litigation should someone wearing one of their helmets be injured in an accident. In any event, they are now working with KTM on a spine protector that differs from what we are used to, because their device works to restrict head movement, thus protecting the spine from injury caused by the head going too far forward, back, or to the side. The concept is similar to a "neck donut" that has long been available for use by helmeted drivers in cars, but the execution is a lot more user friendly and comfortable looking. Honestly, the early version still seems a bit much, and the whole idea seems better aimed at a racetrack environment than the street. I'm not saying that the device might not be useful, only that there are statistically lots of more likely problems that could be addressed. On the other hand, I don't know what amount of force the device will deal with, so maybe it is very effective. This seems to be the year of safety devices for motorcycles, this following Honda's air bag concept. We'll find out when (if) the finished product is released, especially if it is available in the US. | 
