This Kickstarter bike helmet by Lumos has brake lights and turn signals!
As an auto accident lawyer helping many bicyclists who are hit by cars, I often write about the law, bicycle safety and the latest in helmet technology in the fight to prevent concussion and traumatic brain injury.
The latest bit of news is truly exciting:
“The Next Generation Bicycle Helmet” by Lumos is a Kickstarter project with just about one week left. The helmet features brake lights and turn signals, to help cyclists stay safe and truly visible on the road.
The turn signals are featured on the front and back of the helmet, and can be activated by a wireless remote. This way, the rider can keep both hands firmly on the handlebars if needed and there’s no confusion due to ambiguous hand signals or dark clothing.
For braking, Lumos comes with an integrated accelerometer. It senses when the cyclists slows down, and automatically turns all the rear lights a bright red color to signal braking, just like a vehicle. Quite amazing, if you ask me.
With this helmet, the cyclist can more effectively communicate her intentions to drivers, who often have difficulty seeing and predicting where the cyclists will go on the road. Unfortunately, I know this first hand. For instance, in one of my recent cases, my client, an 83-year-old man, was hit and killed by a commercial truck who did not see him as he was legally crossing the street on his bicycle.
The Lumos helmet also comes with a rechargeable battery, and it’s water-resistant.
Though still in development, this bicycle helmet is already taking off. So far on Kickstarter, there are 3, 518 backers who have pledged a total of $461,679 — far surpassing its $125,000 goal.
The first batch is scheduled to be delivered April 2016.
As Lumos says, “This isn’t just a product. It’s a movement.”
In 2013, 4,735 pedestrians and 743 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts. There were also about 66,000 injuries that year. A large number of these deaths and injuries were the result of a collision with a motorist.
This helmet could makes cyclists visible and more safe, which means far less preventable deaths and injuries from bicycle accidents.
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