Could new Israeli technology prevent bicycle accidents?

A new technology developed by Israelis could help reduce cycling accidents and improve safety for bikers in traffic.

The novel chip was developed as a collaboration between Autotalks, an Israeli company that produces V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) chips for technology designed to prevent vehicle crashes, and Canyon Bicycles, a German manufacturer of road bikes, mountain bikes, hybrid bikes, triathlon bikes and electric-powered (e-bikes).

Through the partnership, Canyon is set to introduce V2X technology into some of its premium e-bikes, allowing other V2X equipped bikes to receive a notification when a Canyon bike is nearby. According to the companies, this will help bicycles get seen on the road, increasing the safety of cyclists. 

“Bike safety illustrates the effectiveness of V2X technology in accident prevention and constitutes a fundamental component of the global V2X deployment plan," said Yuval Lachman, VP marketing and business development of Autotalks. "Autotalks' leadership in developing V2X technology to prevent bicycle accidents sends a strong message to the ecosystem about the company's dedication to protecting those who are most vulnerable on the road.”

Lionel Guicherd-Callin, global director for Canyon Connected Solutions added: “At Canyon, we want to inspire people around the world to ride more. We see safety on the road as a barrier to getting more people cycling, so we are excited to partner with Autotalks to bring more V2X-enabled bikes to our roads and enable more responsible motor vehicle driving behavior.” 

The technology has already been employed in cars in Europe, with about one million equipped with V2X technology.

E-bike safety- why is the technology needed? 

Recent years have witnessed the increasing popularity of E-bikes and electric-powered scooters (E-scooters) as a mode of transportation worldwide. Rental E-scooters were first introduced in Israel as an easily accessible and inexpensive means of urban transportation in early 2019, the team wrote. 

The current estimated number of e-scooters in Israel is between 100,000 and 150,000, of which some 2,000 rental e-scooters are distributed via four major providers throughout the city of Tel Aviv alone. 

Seven out of 10 people injured riding electric bicycles, scooters and other similar vehicles who were treated at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center’s emergency room didn’t wear a protective helmet. Not only have many been killed in such accidents or suffered serious orthopedic injuries, but many have suffered serious and painful harm to their face and jaw. 

Dr. Shimrit Arbel, a senior physician in the hospital's department of oral and maxillofacial surgery, conducted a study of 320 such patients – 193 males and 127 females – who came to the hospital's emergency department after being injured in the face in such accidents. 

The age range of the patients was wide ranging from three years for the youngest patient to 89 years for the oldest. Of these, 238 were found to be injured as a result of riding an electric scooter and 82 patients as a result of riding an electric bicycle.

Tal Sigway, a 34-year-old, wedding-dress designer, rode his scooter on his way to his home in Tel Aviv while wearing a half-head helmet and overturned because of a small pothole in the road. “At first, I thought I was really lightly injured, but when I got to the emergency room at Sourasky [Medical Center], I realized that I had dislocated my jaw and had to undergo surgery to fix my jaws. I didn’t understand how I even got from a situation where half an hour ago I was measuring a dress for a bride to a situation where I was about to undergo surgery, because of something so unnecessary and dangerous – a scooter.”

Judy Siegel-Itzkovich contributed to this report.