Legal News

A new “smart” bicycle manufactured in Toronto in Canada will enable users to connect the bicycle to a Smartphone to monitor speed and performance, website TheCoolist.com reports.

The Smartbike is being hailed as the safest bicycle on the market and uses the GPS in its handlebars to connect to the rider’s Smartphone using Bluetooth. The cycle will provide directions to a cyclist during a journey, as well as charting routes and working out faster routes for regular journeys.

The Smartbike’s technology will collate information such as the shortest routes by gathering data on distance travelled, speed and the fastest times on regular routes – as well as storing information about where a pothole might be on a road used regularly. It will also monitor rider performance and provide feedback on performance and journeys to improve road safety and rider experience.

The Smartbike will also monitor the cyclist’s energy usage by monitoring how many calories are being expended.

The Smartbike’s handlebars will be fitted with LED lights to signal the next turning for a rider. When a cyclist is in a blind spot, the handlebars on the bike will vibrate to alert them of the potential danger.

Information collated by the Smartbike will be stored using a Smartphone App, which will allow cyclists to review data about their fastest routes and road information. Apps for Android, Pebble and iOS will be ready for the Vanhawks Valour launch.

The Smartbike will also help reduce bicycle theft as when two of the cycles pass each other on the road, the GPS will send out a signal from each bike to the other – this means when a Vanhawks Valour is stolen, unless the thief also takes the cyclist’s Smartphone, he will receive a message when another Smartbike passes it, logging the location to help in the recovery of a stolen bicycle.

The Vanhawks Valour bike is available on pre-order from Kickstarter for £574 and the first Smartbikes will arrive in the UK from November.

Improving road safety for cyclists has been a focus of the UK government, the London Assembly and cycle campaigners, who are calling for strategies such as banning HGV vehicles from central London during rush hour – and dedicated cycle routes.

Proposals for safer cycle streets with a possible maximum speed limit of 15mph are also being mooted, which would also give cyclists priority over other road users.

The design of lorry cabs is also being considered by the European Commission, with the traditional “brick-shaped” lorry cab being replaced by cabs with larger windows and a larger crash zone at the front of the cab, to prevent serious injury and death to cyclists and other road users in the event of a collision.

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors for Road Traffic Accidents

Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors can advise cyclists on how to make a no win no fee compensation claim for injuries sustained in a road traffic accident resulting from the negligence of another party, such as a motorist or HGV driver.

Cyclists injured in a road traffic accident have three years from the date of injury to make Cycling Accident Claims.

For expert legal advice on making no win no fee compensation claims for cyclist injuries, contact Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors on 020 7923 4020.