Lumos cycle helmet boasts automatic brake lights

The Lumos is the world’s first cycle helmet with brake lights that come on automatically when you slow down.

Lumos is described as a ‘next generation’ cycle helmet. Like any other design on the market, it’s protective qualities rely on a layer of polystyrene covered in a thin plastic casing, but Lumos features built-in automatic brake lights and indicators.

An integrated accelerometer senses any reduction in speed and automatically applies the triangular brake light. The indicators are activated by a handlebar-mounted wireless remote.

Lumos is currently available to buy at a reduced cost of $99 via Kickstarter 

Cycle helmets. To wear or not to wear. That is the question.

Or at least it is in some countries.  The Netherlands is arguably the safest country in the world for cycling, and yet helmet wearing among Dutch cyclists is rare. It is estimated that only around 0.5 per cent of cyclists in the Netherlands wear cycle helmets.

In Australia it is compulsory to wear a helmet if you are cycling. Before it introduced the law in 1990 around 45 cyclists were killed each year in Australia. Following the move to make helmet wearing mandatory, that figure fell to 30 people a year – a reduction in line with the collapse in cycling caused by the introduction of compulsory helmet law.

In Australia around 300 people a year drown. Under a new Australian law all swimmers will have to wear a life jacket. Bondi beach will never be the same again.

Here in Britain, whether one wears a helmet or not is a matter of choice, which seems a sensible approach – not least because the protection offered by cycle helmets id far from proven. For a detailed and independent analysis of helmet effectiveness visit Cyclehelmets.org

Cycle insurance from the ETA

On the face of it, one cycle insurance policy is much like another, but the devil is the detail. How much excess you will be charged is just one of the things that varies wildly between providers. Another is so called ‘new-for-old’ replacement – many insurers use this term, but if your bicycle is more than a few years old, devalue it severely. This means you are left out of pocket when you come to replace it.

ETA cycle insurance has a low standard excess of 5% (minimum £25) and offers a new-for-old for life – how ever old the bike, if it’s stolen you get enough to buy a new model.

For 25 years we have been providing straightforward, affordable bicycle insurance. Whether you use your bike to commute, shop, race or amble in the park, ETA Cycle Insurance has you covered. We never devalues bikes no matter their age, allow you to buy your replacement bike wherever you like, replace stolen quick release components and we handle claims in-house. Can your insurance provider say the same?

Furthermore, every cycle insurance policy you buy helps support the work of the ETA Trust, our charity campaigning for a cleaner, safer transport future.