We've all heard the varying adages, "ride like you're invisible," "ride like everyone's trying to kill you," and so on. And while some of them are hyperbolic in nature, they often stem from some kernel of truth. But they all beg one question: why do motorcycles get rear-ended so often?
According to JD Power, motorcycles make up roughly 3% of all registered vehicles on the road in the United States. That's a pretty small number—and as such, drivers spend the majority of their time interacting with other cars on the road, rather than motorcycles. They become accustomed to, and train themselves, to respond and react (hopefully, at least) to the behavior of cars.
And while statistics vary on this point, even usage of cars equipped with manual transmissions is rapidly declining, with sources indicating between 1-3% of all cars on the road using manual transmission.
All that leads to one salient point: the overwhelming majority of braking is indicated by the actuation of brake lights when a brake pedal (or in our case, lever) is depressed. And after September 1st, 1985, that included the actuation of center high-mounted stop lamps on cars.
Brake Light Visibility Matters
The NHTSA conducted a study that isn't exactly surprising. The addition of center high-mounted stop lamps on cars led to a 35% reduction in rear-impact crashes. That's massive.
Even in big hunks of metal that take up an entire lane, adding a brake light that was in direct line of sight for the majority of road users decreased rear-impact collisions by approximately a third.
Which brings us to our next point.
Drivers Do Not Anticipate Engine Braking
Engine braking is a foreign concept to most road users entirely. And that isn't their fault—with the decrease in manual transmissions as a whole, and with how little of a percentage motorcycles make up on the road, it makes sense that their entire exposure to the concept of braking suggests "push the pedal, brake lights come on, the vehicle slows down."
Such that drivers have trained themselves to respond only to illuminated brake lights—rather than registering if a vehicle is slowing down otherwise.
Brake Free Solves Multiple Issues
There are two very specific issues that compromise motorcycle safety and lead to rear-end accidents.
1: The absence of a center high-mounted stop lamp.
2: The absence of a brake light that actuates when we engine brake.
Brake Free's position on the back of a helmet lines up with a driver's line of sight, as well as using gyrometers and accelerometers to determine a reduction in speed of any variety: rolling off the throttle, engine braking, emergency braking, and regular braking.
So our simple, no apps, no wires necessary addition to your helmet places a brake light that illuminates depending on your ride's speed rather than hitting a brake lever right where drivers have trained themselves to look: straight ahead, and at eye level, as opposed to typical motorcycle brake lights which sit significantly below the typical field of view.
Be Seen By Drivers On The Road
This simple motorcycle safety upgrade is designed to help prevent crashes—as opposed to the majority of motorcycle gear that is designed to keep you safe during them. Which we're not knocking at all, and proper gear is critical—but we're here to help you keep it in good shape.
Cover photo: @seen_on_skyline
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