Volvo’s New Safety Initiative: Life Paint
The Swedish car-maker’s latest project aims to help cyclists avoid nighttime accidents
As urban streets are increasingly shared between drivers and cyclists, road safety is more of an issue than ever before. In the UK, more than 19,000 cyclists are involved in accidents every year. Many of these collisions take place in London, where the city’s often old, narrow streets make it difficult to accommodate both four-wheeled and two-wheeled drivers. Swedish car manufacturer Volvo (which has been
making some noise in the design world lately) is now addressing the problem with the introduction of its new product Life Paint, which just launched in London.
The cleverly named reflective safety spray is invisible by day, but when darkness falls it glows in the glare of car headlights, making cyclists much more visible. Life Paint also has the advantage of being useable for any fabric, which means that you don’t have to carry a separate high-visibility vest or jacket—it can be sprayed onto bikes, helmets, strollers or clothing. It was developed by Volvo’s London agency
Grey London with
Albedo100, a Swedish start-up.
The initiative is part of Volvo’s Vision 2020; the company’s plan to ensure that no one is killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020. Life Paint is currently being trialled and given away in six bicycle shops in London and Kent. If the product is popular, the project will expand to the rest of the UK, as well as internationally. For cyclists, this could prove an easy way to enhance visibility without having to carry extra products, and it’s heartening to see a car company reaching out to try and make the roads a better environment for everyone.
Images courtesy of Volvo
