The creator of an innovation which may “drastically improve cyclists’ safety” will address delegates at the National Road Safety Conference later in the year.
Emily Brook, founder and CEO of Blaze and creator of the Laserlight, will present in the conference session that will focus on cycling and cyclists’ safety.
Emily began reading Physics at Oxford University, before pursuing product design at the University of Brighton. It was there that she created the Laserlight, which seeks to address the greatest causes of fatalities among cyclists – being caught in the ‘blind spot’, or vehicles turning across an unseen bike.
The Laserlight is a front facing white light which also has a green laser which projects the symbol of a bike down onto the road ahead, in order to increase the cyclist’s visibility and footprint on the road.
Following the wave of media attention and interest when the concept was first unveiled, Emily started her own company, Blaze, to realise its potential.
After becoming one of the first successful UK Kickstarter projects, Blaze has since raised additional backing from respected VC Index Ventures and the Branson family, among others. Blaze has manufacturing and a supply chain in China, and having sold out of all the early batches of lights is now shipping worldwide.
National Road Safety Conference
The 2014 National Road Safety Conference is being hosted by Road Safety GB South East region at The Grand in Brighton, 25-26 November. The event is co-sponsored by Colas and AA DriveTech.
More than 100 delegates have already registered to attend and 13 organisations have booked to exhibit alongside the conference.
Click here for more information about the agenda and themes, click here for delegate fees and to register to attend, click here for information about exhibiting at the event – or here for information about sponsorship. For more information about the event contact either Sally Bartrum or Nick Rawlings on 01379 650112.
The video clips on the website are illuminating (excuse the pun!). The light looks white from the front in most of the clips apart from one taken from road level and one where it looks as though the cyclist seems to be in a park and has only turned on the laser and not the white light.
Mark, London
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If one looks at the lights of the vehicles in the picture you can clearly see normal headlights, amber lights and a green glow emanating from the cycle lamp. A moving light should not be confused with a static green lights – after all we have moving amber lights, so no difference.
bob craven Lancs
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I don’t know how powerful the laser is and no doubt whilst it is pointing down to the c/way surface I presume it’s relatively harmless, but could it not be accidentally dislodged or become misaligned and end up pointing up at someone’s eye level, even momentarily? Is it legal to have a laser beam emanating from a moving vehicle on the highway anyway?
Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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This is an interesting innovation and good luck to Emily Brook. Time and experience will tell if it proves useful. I suspect the practical issues will be very important to uptake: eg cost of purchase, battery life, longevity of product and image (of the user). Some cyclists will try it; but getting those cyclists who currently use no or inadequate lights to buy this may prove difficult.
David Davies, London
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I am not comfortable with the underlying thinking that we should address shortcomings in vehicle and infrastructure design with clever gizmos for the vulnerable to buy and use. It is shifting the responsibility unfairly and cashing in on people’s fear for commercial gain.
Don, Gloucester
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Remember the late 1980s early 1990s when cars were starting to be fitted with dim-dip headlights to be used were street lighting was available. Ford was the leading manufacturer in this and I had a Fiesta at the time. Vehicles and type of vehicles (car, van, truck etc) could be more easily seen without all the glare and distraction of modern headlights. You could see cyclists/pedestrians so much easier, but of course these were outlawed by EU quangocrat ‘experts’.
Terry Hudson
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Jeff:
Green does not mean go, it means “You may go on if the way is clear”. Not a bad message.
Green was possibly chosen as in many areas (but not all) cycle lanes are green and red would be far more controversial as a light at the front (green not being one of the established white, amber, red lighting colours. Possibly an amber lazer would be compliant and relevant?
Mark, Caerphilly
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Is green the correct colour? Green means GO.
Jeff taylor, Cumbria
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I think the photo may be misleading as it seesm to show a green light to the front and this has attracted comments, but the article says: “The Laserlight is a front facing white light which also has a green laser which projects the symbol of a bike down onto the road ahead, in order to increase the cyclist’s visibility and footprint on the road.”
Mark, London
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I have been playing with the idea of motorcycles becoming different from other vehicles with day running lights on, showing a green tinted light to the front.
Have done some mock ups using a green filter over a headlight and a green tinted light does attract the eye and makes a greater visual differential between that and four wheeled vehicles who display two whitish lights.
If green lights are to be considered legal maybe I can start my own business selling filters or similar for the safety of motorcyclists.
bob craven Lancs
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So do I now take it that it is legal for a cyclists to show a green light to the front of said vehicle? Previously green lights were only allowed on doctors (vehicles) on emergency calls only.
bob craven Lancs
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