Light Bright: This Bring Your Own Bike Lane May Just Save Some Lives

Late at night, riding down a darkened street, a biker can easily disappear from a distracted driver's line of sight. Bike lanes are often nonexistent or simply ignored. But what if bikers could create their own brightly-lit lanes as they ride?

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One new design, called the Bike Zone, projects lights a meter away from the bike, giving drivers an obvious way to stay at a safe distance. The light also works as a flashing turn signal.

Another recent design projects two red lights along either side of the bike, creating a more literal bike lane. The Xfire safety light is visible even in the glare of headlights and streetlights.

The idea isn't brand-new; another team of designers worked on a similar prototype called LightLane a few years ago. But the LightLane never made it to market. Here's hoping the new designs may be widely adopted and help save some lives.

First and second image via Frank Guo, Hung Wang, and Stuart Morrow; third image via Xfire.