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“Bicycling, either for recreation or for commuting, has exploded in popularity within the past few years. According to a recent survey, over 100 million Americans bike each year. However, only 14 out of the 100 million Americans hop on a bike at least twice a week. The highest cited reason behind Americans’ hesitation of everyday cycling is the fear of being struck by a vehicle on the road. The statistics seem to back them up. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 45,000 cyclists were injured in traffic in 2015, with 818 being killed on U.S. roads. The issue lies behind drivers’ and cyclists’ inattention to road laws, as well as the lack of effective space between drivers and cyclists. If there was a simple means to incentivize more of the population to commute or exercise via cycling, much of the population could reap enormous health benefits, as well as contribute to decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide spewed out annually by commuters. We see the inherent risks in cycling, so we wanted to provide a means to address the hazards cyclists see everyday on the road. The U.S. Department of Transportation identified parallel-path events (e.g. cars or cyclists merging lanes) as one of the most common causes of bicycle-motor vehicle accidents. Thus, we decided to create a device that increases cyclists’ awareness and enhances their peripheral vision while on the road.”

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