MOTORCYCLE safety systems that include auxiliary lighting mounted on the rider’s helmet are not a new thing. The concept has been around for some time with limited success, mostly the fact that the unit needs to register the bike and rider’s movement to operate the lights is the issue.
The problem is that the unit has to be totally accurate when gauging what the rider is doing to correctly display the appropriate warning light on the back of the lid – when braking and turning for example.
The InWiew (that is really how it’s spelled!) looks to change all that with the helmet-mounted, motorcycle controlled system.
Instead of relying on potentiometers and accelerometers to guess what the bike and rider are doing, the InWiew comes with a module that hooks on to the bike’s electric system. The benefit is that instead of guessing whether the rider is braking, turning, or otherwise, the system knows the second the indicator is activated and can then trigger the correct warning signal on the helmet.
While the prospect of greater visibility cannot really be argued against, there is a question that should be asked about the overall safety of the product, during a crash for instance. Most helmet manufacturers make the outer shell of a lid as smooth as possible, to help the lid glance off impacts while sliding along the road. This glancing action helps to reduce impact forces that could then be transferred to the rider’s head.
It remains to be seen whether or not sticking the rear light cluster from a mid-1970s BSA to the back of your head is going to negatively affect that protection or not!
