Company creates bicycle airbag to replace helmets (2014)

This is due to the journalism lobby, i.e. Rupert Murdoch, insisting that the commercial and profit-making arm of the BBC should not be allowed to compete with UK business.

If you want to see what things will be like if they're "not funded by the license fee", look at America's media.

Appreciate any form of actual journalism while you have it.

One BBC UK version is http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-radio-and-tv-15384480 but that is not the same content but looks like the same device.

The nonsense is that it is trivial to bypass such location filtering.

Don't hold your breath on the BBC losing that license fee anytime soon - there is too much money being made off it by all sorts of companies [not just the BBC]. Despite having long left the UK, their sub-contracted enforcement company still send me reminders to my old UK address every few weeks and tell me they're coming to visit me to check my TV equipment and that they'll take me to court when they catch me ! They've spent hundreds of pounds more than the license fee sending those letters and having people visit to be told I don't live there any longer. They still turn up every 2 months or so. They've had years to update their records but never do.

On a sidenote, why do they have a cheaper licence for black-and-white tv (£49 vs £145.50 for colour)? Does anyone use that?

I'm not too surprised - automotive airbags contain explosives.

If anyone can suggest an accurate, neutral title, we'll change it.

I could see some Fixie riders deliberately trying to cause cars to trigger this.

Is the "right hook zone" referring to making a right turn into someone crossing an intersection?

Just curious, have you seen any research on the efficacy (and cost efficiency) of those features you say should be required?

It'll be interesting to see in which geographies the introduction of self driving cars leads to a decrease in per-capita vmt. The suggestion being that some portion of the people who choose to drive today do it because they are being terrorized into cars by inattentive or aggressive drivers.

That's a pretty unfair criticism. Fatalities per 100,000 vehicles, the US ranks #24 best (lowest) in the world among nations not the size of Maldives.

To put it into perspective, Russia and Mexico are four times worse; Brazil is five times worse; Colombia is six times worse; the Philippines and China are ten times worse; India is 15 times worse; Venezuela is 20 times worse; Nigeria is 30 times worse.

Adjusting for miles driven per capita, the US comes out ahead of about 18 European nations, and is comparable to France and Spain.

Don't know about all of Europe but basically every serious cyclist in Italy wears a helmet. It's very rare to see a road bike or a MTB cyclist without one. The opposite is true for short range cyclists inside cities. Basically nobody wears a helmet. Small children sometimes do, less frequently their parents. Given the number of cyclists using sidewalks in cities (tolerated but not allowed) I think cyclists are quite worried by drivers. Given I always ride in the road (better surface, no obstacles, faster) I think they are a little too fearful (crossing fingers).

By the way, because of our climate that collar airbag won't sell well here. It could be handy replacement for a scarf in winter but nobody's going to wear it in summer. About the north of Italy: it's NYC's weather with less extremes (0-35C / 30-95F.)

This looks like a better video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7Oud3iGXWY

OK, but your perception is wrong.

http://www.medicine.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/Risk/transportt... Motorcyclists are 3 times more likely to die per kilometre.

I agree with you about the feeling of danger, as related to speed, that you get on a bicycle vs a motorcycle. There's a very long, fairly steep hill near here that I bike ever so often, and on the coast down I make it a point to not use the brakes, which takes a lot of nerve. I probably never get going faster than 25-30mph but it's close to terrifying. Sometimes on the descent I remind myself that "on my motorcycle this would feel like nothing at all". I don't think the feeling is, for me, a function of protective gear, it's more the perception of stability as function of mass/inertia. Motorcycles want to keep going straight, bikes not so much.

It is really big. Notice how the people shown wearing it in still shots, also wear bulky or winter clothing. I don't see how could you wear the helmet in the summer along with a t-shirt and shorts and not look ridiculous. A backpack variant, even if larger, would be better for social acceptance.

Sounds like you're talking about motorcycle helmets instead of bicycle helmets.

There are sensors in the device. They're activated by a battery that starts when you put the thing on and clip the zipper. You have to charge the battery every 3 weeks or so. I've got one and have been using it for a month. So far I didn't fall, and the stuff hasn't been triggered by any of my jumps on and off the sidewalk. It's much more comfortable than a standard helmet. It's very expensive though.

You can already get motorcycle riding gear that is equipped with airbags. It's not full-body, but it does protect the chest, back and neck.