Crash cyclist invents new cycle light

A CYCLIST who was once knocked down by a car has invented a new bike light to help make cyclists more visible.

Ed Ward has been showing off his invention at the Gadget Show Live in Birmingham, where it has been shortlisted in the top 20 of the British Inventors' Project, a new award launching at the tech show for the first time.

"I got hit by a car from behind. It was a wake-up call and I just decided to try and make something a lot more prominent," he said.

"I've always wanted to do my own thing, and run my own business. I've always been quite creative and made products and finally I've got an idea which I thought I could take to market."

The Commuter X4 has a standard bike light at the centre of four fluorescent, fibre-optic straps that can be worn over a backpack or clothes to make cyclists look more prominent in low light. The straps are also reflective when hit by car lights.

"It gives you side profile at junctions and it allows lorry drivers to see you more clearly from above. It's also USB rechargeable and water resistant."

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents reported that in 2012 alone, there were more than 19,000 accidents involving cyclists, with more than 100 people killed. The report also found that accidents that occurred in the dark were more likely to be fatal.

Mr Ward is hoping his device can go some way to reduce those figures, and has had positive feedback so far.

"It's been great. Drivers would rather they didn't squash cyclists, so they quite like people being lit up from what I can gather from the people I've spoken to, and the response has been fantastic from the press that we've had."

The device launched on crowd-funding website Kickstarter this morning, where visitors to the site can invest in a project they want to see come to market, and Mr Ward has already seen more positive reaction.

"We only put the links up an hour ago and we've already had seven backers," he said.

By Press Association reporters