Cyclists

In 2022, 2.017 fatalities happened in the EU where cyclists have been involved representing 10% of all road fatalities.
More than 60% of all accidents between motor vehicles and bicycles occur when turning and crossing because bicycles are not illuminated from the side and the modern front and rear lights fitted emit a very focussed light that cannot be seen from the side.
The side reflectors, which are also mandatory, are only visible when they are illuminated.
For these reasons, both in bad weather and in the dark, bicycles are difficult or impossible to see from the side and are therefore often not noticed when they pass a car on the right-hand side, for example in front of traffic lights.
Bicycles are also difficult to recognise when crossing a road with oncoming traffic, as the multi-LED lights used on motor vehicles today shine much brighter than previous headlights.
Another problem is that car drivers do not keep the required minimum distance. Either because they are unable to judge the correct minimum distance or because they do not recognise bicycles in the dark.
Similarly, motorists are not made aware when they fall below the minimum distance and are therefore unable to react.
Intelligent, reactive lighting systems for bicycles are therefore needed in urban traffic to indicate to motorists the minimum distance to be maintained, warn them if the minimum distance is not observed and provide permanent side lighting for the bicycle.

The overall target of the KFV podcast is to provide important and usefull tips for people who care about their personal safety and the well-being of their loved ones in the everyday life.

In each episode of the KFV podcast, two KFV experts talk for around 20 minutes about a topic from everyday life: about current issues of safe road traffic as well as accident-free relaxation during sport and exercise in nature, but also about the pitfalls of getting older as well as the turbulent life with children and teenagers.

With life experience, specialist knowledge and a good dose of humour, both moderators provide important tips and back ground information about accident risks, accident occurrence and accident prevention.

Here is a little taster of the content of the first three episodes published in March 2023, April 2023 and May 2023:


Episode 1: ‘L17: the best route to a driving licence?’

L17 is currently the most comprehensive driver training course on the way to a B driving licence. But driving the first 3,000 kilometres with your own child at the wheel can be nerve-wracking. Is the effort, courage and extra work really worth it?

On air: Monday, 11 March 2023

Episode 2: ‘Starting the motorbike season: why are masking effects life-threatening and ellipses life-saving?’

Motorcycling is back in fashion among the 40-plus generation. Since 2000, the number of motorbikes in Austria has more than doubled. But the streamlined silhouette is also the greatest danger: single-track bikes are virtually invisible in many traffic situations. How can motorcycling remain a safe pleasure?

On air: Monday, 17 April 2023


Episode 3: ‘Children & water: fascination, pleasure, risk. How to ensure water fun - with safety!’

Children and water - that means fun, but it's also a risky combination. For small children, paddling pools just a few centimetres deep can be disastrous if left unattended. What are the best safety measures for swimming pools, garden ponds and the like?

On Air: Monday, 15th May 2023

Since March 2023 the KFV Podcast has been published with a new episode once a month.

The Technical Day held at Braslovče Primary School on February 23, 2024, in collaboration with the VOZIM Institute, was both practical and educational. The students were first introduced to the DRAJV app and analyzed traffic safety in the municipality. During the event, they created posters and presented proposals to improve safety, which were also supported by Mayor Tomaž Žohar. The students participated in activities at seven stations, including an e-scooter simulator and workshops led by representatives from the Police, the Braslovče Fire Department, and the Žalec Health Center. The VOZIM Institute ambassador, Janez Hudej, shared his personal story about a traffic accident, which gave the students a deeper insight into the seriousness of road safety. The event emphasized the importance of involving young people in shaping road safety solutions.

The event focuses on an initiative aimed at improving road safety for young people, especially e-scooter and e-bike users. A survey by Zavarovalnica Triglav showed that only a little over half of young people feel safe when riding an e-scooter, and many have already experienced accidents. The lack of protective clothing, helmets, and reflective accessories contributes to greater risks. In the "Ne bluzi, z glavo kruzi" (Don’t Play It Cool, Use Your Head) initiative, the Vozim Institute, Zavarovalnica Triglav, and Yootree Creative agency collaborated to encourage safer e-scooter use among young people. By working with design students, they created a unique collection, "Dejmo se videt" (Let's Be Seen), of reflective clothing that combines safety with modern style. The collection was presented on October 17, 2024, at Ljubljana Fashion Week.The students used innovative reflective materials to design fashionable yet safe products. The collection was presented at Ljubljana Fashion Week, where it gained significant attention. The goal was to raise awareness about the importance of visibility in traffic, especially during the autumn and winter months. The initiative continues with workshops and public events, aiming for the products to become part of young people’s everyday style. The main goal of the initiative is to reduce the risk of accidents and encourage young people to prioritize safety while maintaining their personal style.

We continually see in the media news of accidents involving cyclists.
During recent years, the use of bicycles has increased significantly and according to forecasts, this growth will continue in the coming years since many European policies are aimed at promoting the use of this vehicle as an alternative means of transport.
This increase in bicycle use is accompanied by an increase in accidents, which has caused great concern in society since this group is the only one in which the number of deaths has increased since 2010.
For this reason, SOSTRAFFIC BIKE was born as a safety element for cyclists, helping them, on the one hand, to inform other drivers of their position on the road, both visually through flashes of light and telematically via connectivity to the DGT 3.0 platform, and on the other hand, provide the contact with the best possible information for the location of the injured person and reduce the response time in locating them, which will increase the survival rate.
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On the other hand, the maps used by SOSTRAFFIC include roads and mountain trails, so in the event of a fall, the entire route taken by the cyclist will be recorded from the start and will allow for quick geolocation. This is important since in the event of a fall in the mountains, this information can be key to accessing the injured person quickly.


The SOSTRAFFIC BIKE project It is an innovative product connected to the DGT 3.0 cloud.
This device has a light to visually warn drivers of the cyclist's presence, a camera with a microphone to record everything that happens during the journey, an App linked to the device and a connection to the DGT 3.0 cloud.
When the cyclist starts the route, it sends a message to these contacts with a link where they can check his position and the route taken at a given moment. At the end of the route they receive an end of route message.
During the route, it sends the cyclist's position in real time to the DGT 3.0 cloud so that navigators, cars or any other device connected to this cloud can receive the information and alert the driver of the presence of a cyclist on the route, even if he is in a curve or area not visible to the driver.
In the event of a fall, a countdown starts which, if not deactivated, sends a message to the contacts indicating the location of the accident and the route taken by the cyclist from the beginning of the route to the fall on a 3D map (this is important especially in falls on mountain trails) and a video with sound of what happened just before, during and after the fall.
The video will allow us to identify the reason for the accident, even use it as evidence in case the vehicle flees and the images of the accident will be recorded on the SOSTRAFFIC server
If the cyclist enters an area without telephone coverage and the time that passes is greater than the preset in the App, the device automatically sends a notice with the route taken, time without coverage and possible location of the cyclist.

We’re addressing multiple road safety problems:`

- Improving the work safety of road inspectors by reducing time being physically in the middle of the road and reducing multitasking while driving.
- Improving road safety for cars, motorcycles and bicyclist by reducing potholes and defect road inventory such as faded road signs, damaged bollards, etc.
- Improving road safety for pedestrians by mapping crosswalks with worn-out lane markings as well as pavement uplift that causes people to fall.

Image examples can be found attached