“The WIG will be activated when it is buckled on,” says Spencer. “If you fall and hit your head, the helmet will detect that and beep for a minute or so. If you don’t turn it off, WIG sends for help, either directly to 911 or to a third-party service that relays the emergency call to 911. Included with the message will be a GPS location giving your geographical coordinates so the emergency team knows precisely where you are.”

Nicknamed “The OnStar of Helmets,” Spencerâ’s WIG would be a boon for motorcyclists, bicyclists, ATV enthusiasts and others, especially those venturing into remote areas. There were 113,900 ATV injuries requiring emergency room treatment in 2002 and 76,000 motorcycle-related injuries in 2004. In many instances, victims had to wait a long time for emergency response crews to find them.
At this time, the WIG has no competition.

Spencer has started a seed-stage business with a business plan that recently won a $1,250 prize from the Executive Summary Competition in the campus’ Technology Innovation Challenge. Last spring he also won $1,250 from the Grinspoon Foundation for Entrepreneurship, whose scholarship provides monetary awards to students who demonstrate the “entrepreneurial spirit” and who have a strong desire to own their own businesses. Spencer has also invested $2,500 of his own money, no small amount for a student, in a one-year Provisional Patent that will lead, patent pending, to a 20-year Utility Patent.

Spencer has used all the prize money to buy the inner workings for his helmet, including an accelerometer to detect any impact that exceeds a predetermined safety level and a communications device to provide the user’s location for rescue crews. All the electronics are small and relatively inexpensive, allowing them to fit in the current helmet configuration with little physical modification or increase in overall helmet price.

Originally from AMA News on November 6, 2007, 12:23pm

1. Get in gear. Being cold and wet saps physical and mental energy. Riding in the rain requires complete mental focus. If you are thinking about how cold your feet are or how annoying that river of rainwater running down your back is, you are not focused on riding safely. The key is proper rain gear. A good rain suit will keep you dry and warm through all but the worst downpour. Waterproof boots and quality gloves will keep your fingers and toes in comfortable operating condition.

2. Know your (traction) limits. Those two wheels are your only contact points with the road. Make sure your tires are in good condition with plenty of tread depth to push the water away and properly inflated. While wet asphalt offers plenty of traction, there are lots of common road features that can be slick as ice when wet. Railroad crossings are particularly slippery and should be crossed with the bike straight up and at a right angle to the tracks. Also watch out for oil slicks, painted lines, crosswalks and manhole covers. In construction zones, the steel plates used to cover holes in the road are especially treacherous.

3. Be smooth. No sudden starts, stops or turns. Easy on the throttle and the brakes. Leave yourself plenty of room to react.

4. See and be seen. Keep your helmet visor clean and fog free. Anti-fog sprays and breath deflectors are effective at keeping your visor from fogging. Your visibility forward will be better if you look over your windshield rather than through it. As for being seen, when you pick that rain suit, choose yellow or some other high visibility color and select a suit with reflective features. Do not choose black or gray as they tend to blend in with the gloomy surroundings making you harder to see.

Riding in the rain does not have to be an ordeal. Proper equipment and preparation can make the next rainy day just another opportunity to ride.

Here are a few resources for further reading about riding in the rain:

• http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/streetsurvival/wet_riding_conditions/
• http://www.soundrider.com/archive/safety-skills/rain_riding.htm
• http://www.msgroup.org/forums/mtt/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6170

And their advice sounds familiar.

In response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration release of the 2006 Traffic Fatalities and Injuries Assessments, the Motorcycle Safety Foundation is reminding all riders and motorists that they each have an important role in helping to reduce the number of motorcycle crashes on America’s roads and highways.

“The overwhelming number of motorcyclists who wind up in single-vehicle crash statistics are there because they aren’t following basic but important safety precautions when riding,” said Tim Buche, president of the MSF. “And fewer than half of all riders have taken any kind of formal training course. We also know that car drivers and other motorists are at fault a majority of the time in multiple-vehicle crashes that involve a motorcyclist. We have life-saving messages for everyone, whether they are behind the handlebars or behind a steering wheel.”

For motorcyclists, the MSF has five critical messages:

Get Trained and Licensed – Take an MSF RiderCourse and get licensed by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Visit www.msf-usa.org, or call (800) 446-9227. (In Washington, visit www.endorseyoursport.com.)

Wear Protective Gear – Wear proper protective riding gear – all the gear all the time – most importantly a helmet that meets Department of Transportation standards.

Ride Unimpaired – Never use alcohol or other drugs when riding.

Ride Within Your Limits – Don’t ride faster or longer than your abilities allow.

Be a Lifelong Learner – Regularly return for refresher rider training courses to brush up on skills and knowledge.

For car drivers and other motorists, the MSF says:

Look Out for Motorcyclists – Use your eyes and mirrors to see what’s around.

Don’t Be Distracted – Hang up and drive, put down the food, the pet, the personal grooming gear, the MP3 player, and the reading material and save it for later.

Give Two-Wheelers Some Room – Don’t tailgate or get too close.

Use Your Turn Signals – Signal your intentions. It’s also the law.

Keep it in the Car – Don’t throw trash out the window, and secure cargo that can fall out on the road and become a deadly hazard.

“All of these are all doable, real-world actions that will cut down crashes and fatalities right now,” Buche said. “Above everything else, it’s about the human element, the attitude, the mind-set that motorcyclists and motorists have, and the choices they make out there on the road.”

The list is available as a PDF here.

Oregon motorcyclists plan to mark the month with the 17th annual May Awareness Rally on Saturday, May 5, at the Oregon Capitol in Salem. Sponsored by BikePAC of Oregon Inc., the events begin at 10 a.m. with a ride-in to the Capitol. At noon, there will be an update on what is happening with motorcycling, motorcycle training and motorcyclist rights in Oregon. For more information on the rally, visit www.bikepac.com.

A new survey by Nationwide Mutual Insurance shows “Driving While Distracted” (DWD) is quite prevalent among today’s drivers and more dangerous than you might think. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says distracted drivers account for almost 80 percent of all crashes in the U.S. As found by Nationwide’s survey, even those who perceive themselves as safe drivers admit to doing outlandish things behind the wheel, including changing clothes, balancing a checkbook and shaving.

“We are a nation of people with too much to do and too little time. In fact, more than 80 percent of drivers surveyed identified themselves as multitaskers,” said Bill Windsor, associate vice president of Safety at Nationwide. “However, driving requires significant attention. Multitasking while behind the wheel poses a threat to you and your fellow drivers.”

According to the survey of 1,200 Americans, 83 percent of those polled believe they are safe drivers and 59 percent don’t consider themselves distracted drivers. However, 73 percent talk on cell phones, only 16 percent drive at or below the speed limit, and 38 percent admit they have driven a certain distance without any recollection of doing so.

Key findings include:

• DWD Generation: Gen Y-ers are the guiltiest of driving while distracted, with 35 percent admitting to always multitasking in the car. 30 percent of Gen X-ers and 21 percent of Baby Boomers confess to the same. Technology is one of the greatest DWD culprits for Gen Y – 37 percent of this age group admitted to texting or IM-ing while driving, as compared to 17 percent of Gen X and 2 percent of Baby Boomers.
• Service With the Seatbelt On: 62 percent of respondents use drive-thru services at least once a week. Use of drive-thru services varies significantly across generations with 45 percent of Gen Y-ers and 48 percent of Gen X-ers preferring to drive-through as compared to only 28 percent of Baby Boomers.
• Fast Food Nation: Only food trumped technology in household conveniences drivers would like in their cars with 31 percent wanting a fridge and 29 percent wanting Internet access. Eating habits in cars also varied across generations – 73 percent of Gen Y-ers eat snacks in the car and 48 percent eat full meals. In contrast, 42 percent of Baby Boomers say they don’t eat snacks while driving and even more – 71 percent – say they don’t eat meals while driving.
• Going ZZZ mph: Nearly three out of four of participants admit to driving while less than alert. To stay awake, 81 percent roll the window down, 79 percent play loud music and 69 percent drink anything with caffeine.
• Just Like the Mailman: Snow, sleet or rain doesn’t prevent drivers from multitasking in the car. More than a third of those who admit to daydreaming, fixing their hair, talking on their cell phone, sending texts, checking their BlackBerry or reading, say they do it regardless of weather conditions.
• Regional Rage: New York is known for its toughness but road rage isn’t more common up north. 25 percent of Northeasterners admit to having road rage but so do 26 percent of Southerners and 21 percent of western respondents. Beyond geography, more women than men experience road rage, with Gen Y women having the most road rage.
• Disturbing DUI: 5 percent of those surveyed admit they drive drunk. While this number may seem small, it adds up to approximately 60 people – and those are just participants who admitted doing so. 4 percent drive with an open container of alcohol.

“More than half of respondents drive at least one hour a day. Clearly, Americans are on the go but they don’t drive nearly as safely as they should,” said Windsor. “Even though we have ever-increasing demands on our time and more technology, we need to make an effort, when behind the wheel, to focus on driving.”

What exactly do people do behind the wheel? According to the survey, 31 percent of respondents say they daydream; 23 percent experience road rage; 19 percent fix their hair, text or instant message; 14 percent comfort or discipline children; and 8 percent drive with a pet in their lap.

Other multitasking efforts drivers admit to doing include:

• Changing seats with passengers
• Reading a book
• Watching a movie
• Writing a grocery list
• Nursing a baby
• Putting in contact lenses

Methodology:

A total of 1,200 surveys were completed between Nov. 3 and Nov. 20, 2006, among a national sample via MarketVision Research’s proprietary internet platform, Viewpoint Forum. All respondents were required to be between the ages of 18 and 60 and drive a car. Nationwide was not identified as the sponsor. The survey has +/- 4.5 percent margin of error.

This question came up on Ask MetaFilter and I was interested to see what you all think. Do you stay on the bike? Remove your helmet? Do nothing until instructed by the LEO?

What’s worked for you?