Now, a cyclist jacket with indicators for arm signals and brakes

Motorists often fail to see hand signals given by cyclists during night time, but help may be at hand what with a new jacket complete with amber indicators that will turn on with the aid of a tilt switch when a hand signal is given.

London, Aug 19 : Motorists often fail to see hand signals given by cyclists during night time, but help may be at hand what with a new jacket complete with amber indicators that will 'turn on' with the aid of a 'tilt switch' when a hand signal is given.

The innovative piece has an 'accelerometer' with LED (light emitting device) attached to the jacket's back, which turns green when the cyclist is moving forward, and red when the brakes are applied.

Michael Chen said the idea behind his innovation was from the fact that cyclists often face a lot of hostility from cab and bus drivers, which becomes very dangerous in the absence of specific bike lanes.

"There is a lot of hostility from bus and cab drivers towards cyclists. Cyclists are brave. It is so dangerous without bike lanes. When I visited Korea last year, I noticed their cities had better bike lanes than London,' the Daily Mail quoted Chen as saying.

"My prototype had lights taped to it that everyone thought was pretty ugly. But when I put the wiring inside, it looked more normal. Riding around London, people wave and chase me down the street, asking, 'Where did you buy that jacket," he added.

Chen's invention has fetched him the James Dyson Design Award and he hopes to find a manufacturer to produce it on a large scale.

ANI