If there’s one thing that ignites the “creative” enthusiasm of marketers and ad agencies, it’s a hot trend. The road safety products trend was begun by Grey London, that developed Volvo Life Paint, with Colenso BBDO New Zealand’s Reduce Speed Dial for Volkswagen (note: this was used only in a campaign) and Clemenger BBDO’s cyclist awareness car door handle for Victoria’s Transport Accident Commission following.
Next to sign on are Samsung and its agency, Leo Burnett, Italy. They’ve partnered with Erally and motorcross rider, Edo Mossi, and YouTuber, Matteo Bruno (aka Cane Secco), to develop the Smart Windshield for motorcycles that connects to smartphones, to keep riders’ eyes on the road and hands on the handlebars. The screen accesses smartphone information through a connected app, displaying voice calls, social messages, emails and other information.
When messages flash on screen, riders can choose to pull over and deal with them, or the system can send an automatic, “I’m driving” reply. The Smart Windshield, which is set below the fitted windscreen, also shows GPS navigation data.
The windshield, which is part of a global campaign, Launching People, Mixed Talents, is only a prototype at the moment, fitted to a Yamaha Tricity 125 scooter, but Samsung is hoping to make it the windscreen of the future, given that despite all the warnings, smartphones are responsible for approximately ¼ of all road deaths in most developed countries.
In Amsterdam, Vodafone has also jumped onto safety products. It has teamed with Technical University Delft and the Dutch Cyclist Association to create a jacket that connects with riders’ smartphones to direct his/her route. This device does demand pre-planning to make it usable. Riders map out their route on a map app and then tuck their phone into a special pocket, which uploads the route and transmits it to a built-in Raspberry Pi device hooked up to 300 built-in LEDs.
The product is currently at test stage on the field. When the results of this are in, Delft Technical University will continue to develop it. According to research from Vodafone and the Dutch Cyclist Association, about 40% of bike riders use phones while on the road.
Sabine van Loon, head of consumer services at Vodafone said in a statement, “In the field of mobility a lot of innovations have been developed. Think about the self-driving car, taxi-apps or the mobile chip card for public transport. As a company we are constantly looking for ways to use mobile technology in a way that it improves life, in this case focusing on cycling.”
