Road Safety

An Italian optics research firm might have just tackled literally the biggest issue I face while motorcycling: the sun in my eyes. Irid's liquid crystal-based technology tints helmet visors to cut glare in an instant.

Cycling through city traffic can be terrifying. Buses barrel past inches from your elbow, and cars buzz by without leaving the legally required safety margin. Your head's on a swivel, but you can't see behind you – until now.

When you think about it, it's kind of crazy that pro cyclists are capable of exceeding the urban speed limit for motorized vehicles, yet the only protective gear they wear is helmets. That's why one company has now developed a wearable airbag system.

Just when you thought you’d seen it all in motorcycle safety tech, along comes ViberAlert, a product that poses a simple, yet deeply unsettling question: What if your motorcycle seat could vibrate to keep you safe?

Honda’s new patent asks one weird but very interesting question: what if motorcycles came equipped with a steering-assist system, which would help with crash avoidance – a feature most modern-day cars come with?

The DJagger helmet features a unique design that eliminates the need for the conventional chin strap. The rear end of the helmet opens laterally, retreats backward, and rises outward, creating ample space for your head to move in and out.

Foam may protect you from whacks on the head, but it's not sufficient when you're cycling at speed. That's where RLS bike helmet tech comes in. It offers 4x the concussion protection of a regular helmet, via ball bearings and panels that pop off.

We expect new cars to be better than old cars given how much engineering goes into improving them. Why then, do new vehicles sometimes feel more difficult to drive than models from decades ago? A new IIHS study supplies some sanity-saving answers.

The simply-named Oi, made by Australian cycling gear company Knog, is a bike bell for people who don't like bike bells. Such folks may be particularly keen on the latest model, the Oi Prima, as it's sleeker and better-functioning than ever before.

Most modern cars offer automated ADAS tech that works to keep drivers safe. Some drivers find their winks and prods irritating and unnecessary, however. A recent study has shown that use of them also modifies driver behavior, sometimes for the worse.

Bicycle lights don't do you much good if you forget to bring them or charge them. The wÿnd helmet was designed with that fact in mind, as it features a set of hand-crank-charged lights that you simply pull out and mount on your bike whenever needed.

The inventors of the three-point seatbelt are back, giving the life-saving device a high-tech upgrade. Thanks to integration with multiple sensors and the ability to make rapid micro-decisions, the new belts will offer even more passenger protection.