Motorcycle makers and federal highway-safety regulators are taking a harder look at whether advanced safety technology can help reduce fatal accidents and injuries for those who ride.

Manufacturers, at the urging of federal safety officials, are moving to make antilock brakes available on more models. BMW AG is making the feature standard on all models as of the 2012 model year. At the same time, the government and industry are moving ahead with new studies of whether antilock brakes, which can help a rider stay upright during a hard stop, can reduce motorcycle fatalities.

Unlike auto makers and drivers, the motorcycle industry and riders have been relatively slow to embrace safety technology. Thirty years ago, car manufacturers fought safety requirements and most drivers didn't bother using their seat belts. Now, auto makers compete to offer the latest crash-survival and avoidance technology and more than 80% of motorists buckle up—even if only to avoid getting a ticket.

Amid this shift in car culture, the motorcycle industry and riders are still debating whether riders should be compelled to wear helmets, and remain wary of the expense and appeal of new safety technologies, such as air bags and antilock brakes, or ABS. Rider groups have long lobbied against laws mandating helmet use, and now only 20 states require all riders to be helmeted on the road.

For 11 of the last 12 years, motorcycle-fatality rates rose—dipping slightly in 2009. That year, 4,462 people died in motorcycle accidents, accounting for about 13% of all traffic deaths, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.