Cycling safety is always a hot topic, but Swedish brand Hovding thinks it’s cracked it (no pun intended) with its automatically deployed cycling airbag.
The Hovding 2.0 is a collar that zips closed around your neck and deploys a protective, helium-filled cocoon around your head and neck within a tenth of a second in the event of an accident.
We caught up with Hovding UK at Bristol’s Mud Dock to find out more about the airbag for cyclists.
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Marketed purely at urban cyclists and commuters, Hovding simulated typical crash scenarios to tune accelerometers to know when a crash has occurred. False positives can happen though, and there are plenty of slow-motion falls that could cause inflation when it’s not needed.
Such scenarios highlight the obvious downside – cost. While £250 is a small price to pay to save your life, it’s expensive in those cases when your pride suffers more than anything else. Existing customers can get a replacement for £100, but it’s still costly.
On the other hand, research from Swedish insurance company Folksam judged the Hovding to have three times the shock absorption of a regular cycle helmet.
Find out more about the Hovding at www.hovding.com.