1. Problem
Safety and Health: Vehicles and bikes have trouble sharing the road causing thousands of accidents each year. In many states vehicles are supposed to give bicyclist at least 3 feet of clearance when passing but that is rarely this case. Furthermore, it is difficult for police to enforce this law.
2. Technology:
- Codaxus developed a device called BSMART that is mounted on a bikes handlebar and measures the distance between the bike and a passing car through ultrasonic waves.
- When a vehicle comes closer than 36 inches, BSMART beeps—altering the rider.
- The device creates a large digital display that includes a GoPro camera that detects and record the vehicle’s proximity to a bike.
- Currently used by Chattanooga police to enforce the “3 feet clearance law.”
3. Stakeholders:
- Codaxus
- City Police Departments
- Biking Community
4. Implementation:
- Coordinate with the biking community to identify busy vehicle and biking routes
- City police department should develop a Bicycling 101 course for offenders
- Develop and implement community awareness campaign
Advertisements
This is a problem I have given some thought to and I like the intent. A caveat though, it doesn’t stop cars from driving too close, unfortunately, it just alerts the rider the cars are too close. I am presuming the Chattanooga police are willing to accept the devices recording IF the rider reports it. . . and has the license #? This requires defendant/rider to take steps after the fact, not in the moment, and I suppose would only be effective if motor vehicle drivers have a cultural shift after and word gets around of fines and internally begin altering behavior preventitively to avoid police fines.
LikeLike