Why can't the cyclist just wear body armor??

Just because a car is bigger doesn't mean the car is at fault. Why aren't they touting mandatory mirrors all over bikes first? (maybe they are, just making a point)

And a Fisker speaker system that makes the Jetsons' car sound.

With all the cars on the road that don't have those airbags, what are the chances that you'll get hit by one of the new cars with external airbags?

A more likely solution would be the cyclists be required to wear airbags themselves. Then I can keep the weight down on my car.

Yes, lets spend billions of dollars on a narrowly focused technology to save a handful of people rather than, I don't know, teaching people to drive better.

You know what I'd like less of in my cars? Weight and cost. So, that's a "no thanks" for me.

Maybe all the Dutch cyclists should be forced to watch an educational film on cyclist etiquette.

It's called "European Vacation"

What an idea. It's almost as if they were all on drugs.

Yeah, almost.

What if, hypothetically, there could be an aftermarket detachable bumper-mounted airbag system that could be attached to city cars? Make it so drivers who have this installed get insurance discounts in case they're in an accident, and not every car in the world has to have it. It could be either the stupidest idea ever, or it could be utterly brilliant (or at least moreso than 12v fuzzy dice).

60 lives you say? Saved every year? Well, that has some merit. On the other hand, 60 fewer men wearing spandex has some value as well.

Early prototype:

+ Watch video

I commute via bicycle, and sort of fall under the appearance and attitude of "bike punk" - but even i won't get into the "roads are meant for cars" argument. i have friends who've been "doored" and what not. i've had a few scraps myself, but a big balloon on the front of a car? pfft, if they're like regular airbags the damn things won't even open half the time.

And of course those 60 lives lost and 1500 injuries can't be avoided by, say, increased driver training, bicyclists' awareness, and law enforcement?

No, that would increase personal responsibility, and we all know how horrible and despicable that is.

I ride enough that I think, if you could get external airbags to work effectively, that they should be required. There's so many idiot drivers out there who just don't pay attention to cyclists that it's not very hard to get hammered. And asking a cyclist to pedal around with even MORE weight is just a little rediculous.

@Ash, Cash, or Grass: It's pretty hard for a cyclist to get hit by the front of a car and NOT have the car be at fault. Sure you've got the insane bike messenger types who run red lights, but that's a pretty small minority of cyclists.

This would seriously drive up the cost of a front-end impact, since you'd have to have the hood airbag replaced.

And I empathize with the bicycle riders, but pop-up headlights were already taken from us for the same reason. Did anyone else as a kid look forward to owning a car with pop-up headlights?

@elwood: I'm not talking about frontal collisions (which brings up another issue about where to position the airbags)

Almost every cyclist accident I've read about in our area is some sort of sideswipe, usually at an intersection. For example, the cyclist will try to cruise through an intersection, but the car beside him will suddenly decide to turn right.

@Ash, Cash, or Grass: Yeah, I've had close calls with those. I got hit from the front once when a car was waiting at a stop sign to turn right, hence the driver was looking left. I was coming from the right, and was in front of him right when he decided to pull out (I had no stop sign, so I had the right-of-way). It just knocked me over and scraped me up a bit, but still. Now whenever I'm on my bike I give drivers on the road the stinkeye so they know that I know they're there.

Speaking as someone who has actually has been hit by a car while riding my bicycle, I endorse anything that will soften the blow. In my case the woman ran a redlight and hit me broadside. A hood that gives somewhat might have helped in my case. If a person hits the windshield I would consider that a secondary collision, the first being with the bumper, grill area of the vehicle. An airbag deploying from the base of the windshield would cushion that impact but not help with the primary, most damaging blow. Often at a high speed accident involving a cyclist or pedestrian the person is dead before impacting the windshield and is usually thrown completely over the vehicle. Luckily for me there has beeeen nonoo lastiiiig effffects of myyyyyyy aaaacident.

@Ash, Cash, or Grass: I was riding today, and the same thing nearly happened, but the car was heading in an opposite direction. If I hadn't stopped, I would've hit the driver's side fender on the car.

It would be nifty, but in the end fruitless. Let's name how many cars are currently on the road right now? You think the small batch of new cars with this are going to help?

Instead of making cars more and more computerized safe-boxes, why the hell can we not teach people to drive better? And this is why:

Back on August 10th, 2001, I was 11-12ish and I nearly died.

I lived in an apartment complex at the time, which had one road that went through the complex. A simple go in, straight, left, straight, left straight, exit. Me and my friends were all riding around on bikes that day. It was sorta wet out, had rained hours prior. We were doing some stupid game with our bikes, chase or something.

Coming from the exit side of the road, I was riding up to the corner. I saw a blue Crown Vic (an 89 to be exact) coming from the other side of the corner, so I slowed down, and got close to the curb (on my side of the road). I go around to take the corner, and then, next thing I know, I'm on the ground, with the most horrendous site I have ever seen.

The Crown Vic driver was speeding through the complex, 15 mph according to police reports, and cut that corner tight. Slightly drunk (but not over the limit), just broke up with his girl friend apparently.

His dumb ass cut the corner, and hit me. Head on. Now, I don't remember the hit, must have closed my eyes. But, I open them to see I'm laying on the ground, with my left leg bent knee up by the front driver's side tire.

I notice my bike, some 15 feet away with the rim bent (also bent the solid steel front brakes).

I notice my leg. The bloody scene. The night before, a short cartoon series named Samuri Jack had appeared on cartoon network, and in that show when Samuri Jack cut open a robot, they detailed the oil lines inside shooting oil. That image jumped into my mind right as I saw the carnage.

"This has got to be a dream" I said
"Sorry kid, it's not" the driver said.

The carnage you ask? A 6 inch wide (mind you, thats HUGE on my 11 year old leg) gash, down to the bone, straight through all of the meat. It was split wide open because my leg was knee-up. I could see every layer my leg, much like a pie-cut of the Earth in school.

From the core to the crust:

I could see bone, white as snow. I could see muscle, red as hell (the gash had sliced all 4 quad muscles), I could see the yellowish fat on top that, then the fading pink-to-skin on top. I could see every individual blood vessel streaming blood. The skin all over my knee cap was sliced up from the glass around the head light.

I was scarred silent. Besides my 1st words, the only thing else I said was what apartment I lived at so they could go grab my mom.

The driver had put his hand over the cut to slow the bleeding, because it was flowing (took 2 years to get all the blood off the curb and street, paint wouldn't stick to the blood and the spots shown through). Minutes later another neighbor grabbed a towl, and put it tightly over the wound.

It took 7 minutes for the EMS truck to arrive. Holy shit, the longest 7 minutes ever, and that is never a lie of time slowing down.

Talk about a scene, it was just a wall of people around me and the car. I saw my friend, my mom was histerical, and just the waves of on-lookers.

3 minutes after the EMS truck got there, the ambulance arrived. Talk about fear. The only thing I watched was the heart moniter on my finger, just counting the beats. Wondering what my future was going to be. I ended off very insanly lucky. No more then an inch higher, and the major artery in my leg would have been sliced, and I would've been dead before the ambulance got there. Any lower, and it would have cut a major nerve, rendering my lower leg useless (amputation).

At the ER bed, I could feel the warm blood pooling around my leg in the psuedo-cardboard-cast my leg was in. The next morning I was in for sugury, and they reattached all the muscles, tendons, and stapled everything shut. The docter said he had lost count of how many internal stitches were used. And I was in a full leg cast for the next 2 months.

Physical therapy was a trip the 1st few times. I had no control over my leg. Instead of 4 quads working together, each was on it's own agenda. I was walking on crutches by late-October though, and on 2 feet that december. I pushed a hella hard in physical therapy to make things go quicker. Made the estimated 6 month recovery in 4, and had full motion of my leg by late january I guess.

A lawsuit (his insurance wouldn't pay up their end, so fuck you Geico), and 7 years later, I don't have a fear of cars nor biking (avid Mt Biker). But a different view of life for sure. Little shit doesn't bother me like it would others, knowing I've had bigger things to tackle.

I got some knarly scars (chicks do indeed, dig scars) and a helluva story. And money to help me through college.

But no way in hell would I want do it again, or see someone else in the same.

I guess I'm fortunate that most of the cyclists I encounter (both directions on my commute) are very courteous, and I always return the effort.

These are the hardcore 6am road bikers, though..."average joe" bike commuting hasn't really caught on here, since it's geographically difficult around here--lots of hilly and forested choke points that are not bike-friendly.

Well shit, I stole the post a bit..

@arbnpx: Yes sir, it's called my '90 Firebird, pop-up lights and all.

@elwood: Where do you live where cyclists follow road laws?

Why not just convert all roads into an inflatable bag so if you get hit, you just bounce like the Moon Bounce at the carnival?

@TexanIdiot25: It's an emotional story in my defense, I write too much, lol.

@akirachan: Hey thanks for the link concerning the "Ugly Car". I've seen pictures of this vehicle for years but I had no idea someone actually restored this thing. Amazing.

Cars should have breasts. Nice, supple, breasts.

@BraappBraapp: Yeah, if there's no cars at a stop sign, I run it. If there's a red light with no cars near, I run it. I'm not gonna come to a complete stop on my bicycle when nobody's around. But if something's dangerous, or I can't see enough for it to be safe, I'll stop. I know the insane cyclists exist, but there's fewer of them then there are of people who try to sneak through on the yellow (or run a red), or blow through a stop sign. And the fact is, even if a cyclist is not completely following the road laws, they get torn up way worse than the car or driver.

I think first we should have bikes with tires that deflate if the rider runs a red light. If I drove the way most Philly riders ride, I'd have lost my license years ago.

Sorry cyclists, stop being holier-than-thou douchebag asshat on the road first, then I'll consider caring if I run over you.

@brownie: Props!

As a cyclist, I find drivers are one of these:

Careful Driver: sees cyclist(s) and gives them room. Usually another cyclist or empathetic.

Ignorant Driver: feels cyclist's helmet is enough that driver can get close and not care. Extreme cases are rednecks that make a game out of tossing some debris at cyclist.

Drunk Driver: Fatal cyclist killer, especially at dusk/evening when night cyclists RED-FLASHING LED makes the driver a moth to the flame.

Distracted Driver: typical cellphone yacker/soccer mom not paying attention. Applies to peds and other drivers.

Elderly Drivers: your vision will go, and your reaction time drop, along with an increase in your intake of prescription meds.

Anyway, I fail to see how something like this can re-educate the (bad drivers) above. It would deafen/injure the cyclist, let alone apply physics on both the hood and biker.

I would like to see raised or wider cycling lanes (one direction per side of road). I would like to see devices that record vehicles on approach, with imagegrab of driver and tag.

I think DMV should require renewal of license every 5 years with MANDATORY drivers test (both written and road, with obstacles like peds, cyclists and motorcyclists).

I would also like to see the Feds give incentive to more riding to work, grants to encourage more cycling (car-free) lanes, and with gas prices going up more daily, more conditioning that motorcycling and bicycling should be treated like exploding pedestrians!
(aka more penalties and awareness/respect).

(I ahd coffee. yep. Too much. Anyway...all this is moot in winter regions...)

airbags? It wouldn't open in time to cushion the blow. Because as soon as the car thinks you're hitting something, you have already made contact, and deploying an airbag will only make it worse. It'd need some far-range sensors to work.

@beercheck: LOL!

Including one in the middle of the steering wheel for when you need to honk the horn.

Oh yeah, I've been hit by cars before. I hate unaware drivers. Just dangerous to everyone, including other drivers.

Cyclists cag F themselves!

@SigmundTheSeaMonster: What I wouldn't give for mandatory road tests every 5 years... It will never happen, but a fella can dream.

If I am going to bolt any apparatus to the front of my vehicle it's going to be giant flippers like the ones in a pinball machine. That way when I hit a bicyclist I can stay on the throttle as I toss the rider and his bike safely to the side of the road.

@SigmundTheSeaMonster: Btw, I was going to say "How will I run down bike messengers with an airbag on my hood?", but I figured I'd be nice to those psycho assholes for a change.

I agree that the money could better be spent on training for both cyclists and motorists, or maybe on big fluorescent orange jackets for every cyclist. Most times that I've had close calls while riding a bike it was because a motorist didn't see me.

As for the "roads are for cars" thing, that largely depends on where you live. I imagine that in the Netherlands there is quite a bit of bike traffic on public roads, and some places have dedicated bike lanes. Where I live, I've found it safer to keep in the right-side lane of the slower roads. Motorists tend not to see you if you're on the sidewalk, and can sideswipe cyclists on right turns.

@drewdraws2: Most cycilst I've seen blow past stop signs and what not. I've also seen idiots riding past dusk with NO light and NO reflectors. In the city it is one thing to be on a bike, but in the suburbs and rural area bikes are a major hazard. I'll wade into the share the road debate. The raods are for the cars, the bikes pay NO taxes (tag, gas tax, etc.). If they are going to be on the road they should have to have a tag and be able to maintain say 75% of the posted speed limit on any road with a speed limit over 25 mph. Residential areas all have speed limits less than 25mph. Just like you don't let mopeds on the Interstate, don't let bikes on a road with a 45-55mph speed limit.

This may be a good cause, but certainly not the best solution to the issue.

Most of this has been said before, but allow me to reiterate with what I agree with:

A tactile deployment (like airbags deploy now) will do nothing to soften the blow. If anything, it will make for some comic crashes. Driver hits biker, biker is propelled 15 ft in opposite direction by slightly delayed airbag deployment. The only obvious solution to this is some sort of proximity sensor. But there are even more problems with this. This follows the same shoddy logic as CAFE regulations, that mandating all new cars have some feature will have a worthwhile overall effect on the driving population. And besides, what's the two things you don't want your new car to have? Weight and cost.

There are much cheaper and effective methods. Increased roadways for bikes only would have an immediate effect, as would increased driver education. But talking about driver education is a whole 'nother conversation I'm going to shy away from at this point.

@philibuster: The problem is, cyclists are much more likely not to get a second chance.

@24V: Can we get some Bruce on this guy?

@philibuster: Maybe something like the reactive armor on tanks. If it is fast enough to repell a tank round it should work on cycists.

@P161911: So if a cyclist shouldn't be riding on the roads in the suburbs, then where do you suggest they ride? Mark off a shoulder for bikes on the side of the road? Ride on sidewalks? Cyclists don't pay taxes because they don't cause wear and tear on the road like cars do, and they don't USE gas.

@LamerX:

I think these should be mandatory on all vehicles where the driver's head is more than 5' off the ground. In other words, SUVs and trucks.

Aside from the obvious visibility and handling problems of these vehicles, it would also single out the cyclist's worst nightmares: Rednecks in pickup trucks, and, even worse, stupid cell-phone-yakking moms in SUVs.

A car with a low hood - say, a Miata or a Porsche - will flip you up on to it, which is livable. A car with a big, flat front - like a Range Rover - will simply crush your skull like a watermelon.

You keep your sports cars sporty, and I keep my cerebellum. Sound fair?