‘Traffic Safety Facts’ according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Center for Statistical Analysis, (‘Pedalcyclists Killed and Injured and Fatality and Injury Rates by Age and Sex, 2008’): 

In 2008…

●      716 people were killed riding a bike in the United States. 

●      52,000 people were injured riding a bike in the United States.

●      The average age of those killed was 41.

●      The average age of those injured was 31.

●      90% of all killed were males

●      80% of all injured were males

●      The two most frequent causes for bicycle accidents are collisions with motor vehicles (58%) and individual falls (30%).  These two causes contribute to a total of 88% of all accidents.

●      Fatalities occurred more frequently in urban areas (69%), at non-intersection locations (64%), and between the hours of 5 p.m. and midnight (39%).

●      Nearly 70% of all nighttime Bicycle-Car collisions are due to inadequate side visibility[1]

On the road, lighting contributes to operator safety in two ways: 

1) it illuminates the path in the forward direction aiding in the rider’s ability to safely navigate in low light/dark conditions [lighting].  As the top design priority, most bike lights are highly effective at illuminating the path ahead, but can be overpowering, blinding incoming traffic. In 3D space traditional lights can be effective lighting left to right, ground to sky, and forward, yet most neglect the visual field directly in front of the bike tire.

2) it signals identification to those sharing the road (i.e. I am a car, I am a bike, I am a semi) increasing operator conspicuousness, particularly in low light/dark conditions [sighting].  Most bike lights are low to mildly effective at signaling to shared road traffic.  They signal only to those that see the ground contacting light, or the directionally mounted light (from 180 degrees ahead of the bike rider, or from 180 degree ahead of where rider is looking for a head mounted light).  Traditional bike lights can also send mis-identifing signals to others (I am a motorcycle or a small car with one headlight out), and can make it difficult to identify the exact location of the bike/rider.  This lack of signaling effectiveness has spawned an entire industry of products used to draw other’s attention to bicyclists such as reflectors, blinking (active) lights, neon tubes. 

Yet currently no product on the market contributes to operator safety in both of these ways at a functionally high level.  A single product that combines path illumination and effective, unique signaling (I am a bike) to shared road traffic would significantly increase biker safety and fill a niche market.

An increase in bicycle lighting and sighting has the potential to reduce rider injuries and fatalities each year.