It started with a motorcycle accident.In 2012, Troy De Baca—a rider from the Denver area—had a crash that shook him to the core. He was so rocked that he was afraid to get back in the saddle even though he had been riding for over 20 years. However, he didn’t want to give up his love of riding, so he searched for solutions instead.
How to Make Motorcycle Gear Smarter
Troy did some research and realized a few things about motorcycle crashes. First, the majority of motorcycle accidents are the result of collisions with other vehicles. Second, he realized that these crashes often happen when turning or changing lanes. Finally, he noticed that most drivers just didn’t see the motorcycle they crashed into. This led Troy to believe that if he could somehow make motorcyclists more visible during turns, then many crashes could be prevented. That’s when Troy got an idea.
He calls his idea SignalWear. It’s smart gloves that wirelessly link up to the turn signals in your motorcycle. When you press the turn signal, the back of the glove lights up thanks to super bright LEDs. This allows riders to put out their hand and signal to cars behind them that they are about to turn or shift lanes. This makes their turn signal far more visible, and helps keep drivers from crashing into motorcyclists.
De Baca has now started a Kickstarter campaign to make his SignalWear available to consumers. Do you think this Coloradoan’s product has a place in the motorcycling community? Are there other products that can help increase safety for motorcyclists? Keep following the attorneys that ride at the Metier Law Firm to find out.