The Missing Link in Road Safety

At a Glance

• Bike-to-car connectivity enables awareness beyond what is visible
• Cyclists are often present in traffic without being anticipated
• Existing safety systems reduce risk but leave structural gaps for vulnerable road users
• Connectivity complements current safety approaches rather than replacing them
• What begins with cyclists can extend to other vulnerable road users over time

Road safety has improved steadily over the past decades. Vehicles have become safer, infrastructure has evolved, and visibility tools have advanced. Yet for cyclists — and other vulnerable road users (VRUs) — serious crashes continue to occur in ways that existing approaches struggle to address.

This is not because current safety systems have failed, but because a critical connection is still missing.

Modern traffic systems were designed around vehicles that can see each other. Cyclists, by contrast, often remain present in traffic without being anticipated. The same is true for other vulnerable road users who move differently, occupy less space, and are harder to predict.

Bike-to-car connectivity addresses this gap by enabling awareness between road users before visibility and perception alone are relied upon.

Safety has advanced, but gaps remain

Today’s safety ecosystem includes many effective elements:

• Vehicle design and braking performance
• Road design and traffic rules
• Visibility measures such as lighting and reflectors
• Driver assistance and perception systems

Together, these have significantly reduced risk for vehicle occupants.

For cyclists — and for other vulnerable road users — these systems are often indirect. They depend on being seen, detected, and correctly interpreted in time. When conditions are ideal, this works well. When they are not, the limitations become clear.

Bike-to-car connectivity does not replace existing systems. It addresses a different question altogether:

How can vehicles be aware of cyclists and other vulnerable road users even when visual cues and perception fall short?

Visibility Is Not the Same as Awareness

Cyclists are frequently advised to improve visibility. Lights, clothing, and reflective gear all help, and they remain important. Similar guidance is often given to other vulnerable road users.

But visibility alone does not guarantee awareness.

Drivers may not expect cyclists on certain roads. Environmental conditions such as low sun, weather, or visual clutter can reduce recognition. Speed differences can compress reaction time. In these situations, cyclists — and other vulnerable road users — may be visible but not meaningfully anticipated.

Bike-to-car connectivity focuses on awareness, not just visibility.

What Bike-to-Car Connectivity Enables

At its core, bike-to-car connectivity allows bicycles and vehicles to be aware of one another as active participants in traffic.

Conceptually, this means:

• Presence is communicated rather than inferred
• Awareness does not rely solely on line-of-sight
• Anticipation can occur earlier in the interaction

While cyclists are the most immediate beneficiaries, the same principle applies to other vulnerable road users who face similar challenges in mixed traffic.

Why Cyclists Are the Starting Point

Cyclists differ fundamentally from vehicles in how they move through traffic:

• They occupy less physical and visual space
• They accelerate and decelerate differently
• They appear in environments where drivers may not expect them

Because of this, cyclists are often the first to experience the limits of existing safety approaches. Addressing these gaps for cyclists creates a foundation that can later extend to other vulnerable road users as connectivity becomes more widely adopted.

A Necessary Step in the Evolution of Road Safety

Road safety has never advanced through a single solution. It has evolved by addressing gaps as traffic systems became more complex.

As mobility diversifies and roads are shared by more types of users, connectivity between vehicles and vulnerable road users becomes increasingly important. What begins with cyclists naturally extends to other VRUs as systems mature.

Connecting the System, Not Just the Technology

The value of bike-to-car connectivity lies in what it enables, not in how it is implemented. It recognizes that protecting cyclists — and other vulnerable road users — requires more than better visibility or faster reactions.

By enabling earlier and more reliable awareness between bikes and cars, road safety systems better address the reality of mixed traffic.