Safety and technology: New app designed to reduce risk of bike accidents

April 08, 2014 (Press-News.org) A recent article in The Boston Globe touched on new technological advances that could translate to a decreased risk of bicycle accidents. The advances were designed by engineering students at Northeastern University and replicate some of the safety measures becoming more standard in cars - namely, the ability to warn a biker that a crash is imminent. In response to a potential crash, the bicycle's handlebars would vibrate warning the cyclist to avoid danger.

More on tech advances and bikes

The project is officially called the Interactive Bicyclist Accident Prevention System, or iBAPS. It uses two consoles that are attached to the bicycle, one in front and one in back. According to a news release from Northeastern, the consoles contain sensors that are used to measure the distance of the bike to nearby objects such as vehicles on the road. If a bicycle and vehicle get too close, a speaker within the console will issue a loud warning aimed at catching the attention of both the cyclist and the driver.

The device is also designed to interact through Bluetooth technology. The system can communicate through a smartphone application to track the console's location on a map and record various interactions. This app could lead to a number of uses, ranging from recording information if training for a race, tracking a bicycle's location on a map or even providing evidence in the event of an accident.

Bicycle accidents in Connecticut

Unfortunately, bicycle accidents are not uncommon in Connecticut. A recent study by the Capitol Region Council of Governments, a voluntary association of municipal governments out of Hartford, found the cities of Hartford, East Hartford, Manchester and Enfield experienced the highest rate of bicycle crashes. Of the crashes that were caused by a motorist, over 60 percent were due to a motorist's failure to grant the cyclist right of way. An additional 26 percent of crashes were attributed to motorist behavior.

Those who are injured in a bicycle accident due to the negligent or reckless act of a motorist can qualify for compensation to help cover economic losses such as the cost of medical treatment, rehabilitative care and lost wages, as well as non-economic losses such as pain and suffering.

Establishing liability in a bicycle accident

Determining who was at fault in a bicycle accident can be difficult. Although disobeying traffic laws can be used to help establish that a driver was negligent, at times an accident reconstruction is necessary. Recklessness can also be established if the victim can prove that the driver knowingly acted with disregard to human life, such as drunk driving or distracted driving caused by cell phone use. Establishing these claims can be difficult. As a result, those injured in a bicycle accident should contact a Connecticut bicycle accident lawyer for guidance.

Article provided by D'Amico, Griffin and Pettinicchi, LLC
Visit us at www.dgplaw.com