RoadRadar

Road traffic incidents involving vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists) are the 8th leading cause of death globally and according to WHO, around 1.4 million deaths occur each year. In Great Britain, vulnerable road users accounted for over half (53%) of all road fatalities in 2020 and had the highest user casualty rates (Department for Transport).

With more people walking and cycling, especially for shorter journeys, and with a sharp rise in last mile delivery services via motorcycles, investment in road safety solutions for vulnerable road users are urgently needed. There is also strong demand for innovative safety services from commercial vehicle operators seeking to reduce the risk and likelihood of their drivers causing or being involved in preventable incidents that are attributable to a general lack of awareness (7/10 incidents today).

K-Safe was founded in 2015 to develop innovative safety technology. The company successfully launched Flare, a multi-award-winning personal safety app for horse riders, runners, walkers and cyclists to provide automated incident detection and alerting if a user has a stumble, fall or crash. The Flare app is now used by some of the most recognisable brands in the world, with users in over 90 countries and is trusted by thousands of cyclists, monitoring millions of miles of activities, and helping to save three lives since its launch in November 2019\.

Building on the core Flare platform, K-Safe are developing RoadRadar, a technology that builds a virtual safety bridge between vehicles and vulnerable road users, allowing them to share the road safely. The RoadRadar safety platform, software and protocol will enable secure and anonymous communication between in-vehicle systems and vulnerable road user smartphones, to provide drivers with real-time, distraction-free alerting (audio and visual) when a vulnerable road user is in close proximity in order to raise awareness and proactively prevent a potential incident from occurring.

This project will enable K-Safe to complete the RoadRadar platform, supporting software and service developments to enable vehicle manufacturers, micro-mobility providers and commercial vehicle operators to rapidly adopt and integrate into their respective brands, products and technologies. RoadRadar will run on any smartphone, tablet and in-vehicle system, and requires no additional hardware or sensors, addressing the cost concerns of operators and/or other users, and removing a significant cost-barrier to widespread adoption. Existing users of Flare will automatically be connected into the RoadRadar network, delivering immediate impact from market launch in 2024\.