Project

SAFER Cycling: from crash avoidance to injury reduction – increased visibility and reduction of injuries by smart clothes and materials

In traffic safety, the safety for bicyclist is one of the largest challenges. Bicyclists are nowadays the largest road user group with the highest number of severe injuries. There are two main challenges:

1. Detect cyclists: The most common accident scenario on rural roads is that the bicyclist is struck while cycling along the road. Even if most of the accidents occur in daylight conditions drivers claims that they did not see the cyclist.

2. Prevent the most common injury type: Head injuries account for the most severe injuries but these could partly be prevented with helmets. However, the most frequent injured body region, upper extremities, are still unprotected. A shoulder protection could reduce the number of injuries.

This pre-study will push the development towards a reduction of injuries and at the same time aid a more sustainable mode of transport by making cycling safer. One target is to better understand how the ability of drivers to detect cyclists in daylight conditions can increase by using smart materials and technology. Furthermore, knowledge about how shoulder protection could be developed will also be created.

The research questions that will be investigated in this study are:
How can we increase the ability of driver to detect cyclist in daylight conditions and thereby reduce the seriousness of injuries in case of a crash?
•What are the requirements on a shoulder protection system against injuries to make it both protective and accepted?