New design of bicycle light helps motorists see faster say Oxford researchers

Researchers at the University of Oxford have found that lights, which depict an image of a cyclist, may go some way to improve the safety of cyclist by enabling drivers to recognise them more quickly.

Brainy Bike Lights have been developed by Behaviour expert, Crawford Hollingworth, to pick up on the fact that universally understood symbols are identified more quickly and accurately than simple lights.

Professor Charles Spence at the Experimental Psychology Lab at the University of Oxford, where the tests were carried out, said the symbol could make a difference to road safety as they allowed motorists to discriminate cyclists more quickly. 'Our brains interpret symbols very rapidly, within .001 of a second of seeing something our brains have made a decision about what it is and how to respond,' he said.  The research demonstrated that since drivers will be able to identify cyclists on the road more quickly, they would also be able stop significantly more quickly – should they need to.