Bicycle helmets can provide very valuable head protection to the bicyclists who wear them. Currently, a bicycle helmet is under development which is aimed at providing an additional type of protection in bicycle accidents. Specifically, it is aimed at helping protect bicyclists from drivers who are inattentive or who cannot see them.

The helmet is being developed by the automaker Volvo. The idea is that the helmet would be able to link to a bicyclist’s smartphone and, through the use of GPS tracking apps, be able to detect if a Volvo automobile was getting too close to the bicyclist. In the event that a Volvo is found to be getting too close, the helmet would issue a warning to the bicyclist, though vibrations or lights, perhaps giving the bicyclist a chance to take defensive action to avoid being hit. The driver of the automobile would also be alerted to this close proximity, thus also perhaps giving the driver the opportunity to take collision-preventing actions.

There are more and more bicyclists on the roadways.  It’s important to begin looking for ways to keep them safe in traffic.

It will be interesting to see if Volvo does ultimately put this helmet out on the market. What opinions do you have on this under-development technology? Do you think that helmets like the one Volvo is developing could help prevent bicycle accidents?

When a driver, through inattentiveness or other reasons, fails to spot a bicyclist out on the roads, it can result in them hitting the bicyclist and the bicyclist being catastrophically hurt. Legal action may be available to a bicyclist who was hit by a vehicle if the accident was caused by driver inattentiveness or other negligence by a driver. Attorneys can assist bicycle accident victims in figuring out whether driver negligence was present in their accident.