Amsterdam December 10, 2024 - Bicycle lights designed specifically to illuminate cyclists' legs significantly improve the visibility and recognizability of cyclists in the dark. The TNO study, which took place in both urban and rural environments, found that the additional use of Ziemi to existing lighting increases detection distance in urban areas by more than 52% and recognition distance by 19% to 24%. This means that motorists can see and recognize cyclists earlier, which is crucial in preventing accidents. The light makes the cyclist's moving legs the most noticeable part. The study shows that perceptible light increases by a factor of 10.

According to figures from the KiM more than 20,000 cyclists ended up in emergency rooms in the dark last year. That amounts to a shocking 57 cyclists per day, which continues to rise annually. The social effect of increasingly hectic traffic is that in 4 out of 5 municipalities, children and the elderly feel more unsafe than they did in 2018, according to the Cyclists Union.

Significant improvement

"At Ziemi, we believe in simple and effective solutions; make the cyclist visible to be seen" said TU Delft student Luci Santema, inventor of the Ziemi. She continues: "The results of this study confirm that our Biomotion lighting makes a significant contribution to the visibility of cyclists in traffic. Previous research has shown that using bicycle lights in the dark reduces the risk of an accident by about 17%. Now it has been proven that Ziemi makes cyclists visible and identifiable even sooner."

Doctors for Safe Cycling

Dr. Marcel Aries, neurologist-intensivist and affiliated with Doctors for Safe Cycling: "For ten years we have seen a frightening increase in the number of cycling casualties in our hospitals.In cyclists, severe brain injury is the leading cause of death. Better and faster visibility in traffic is one of the (logical) interventions that can quickly make cycling safer. This beautiful Dutch invention now changes that."

Look around you tonight: are cyclists really visible in the dark? Do you also want to be better seen in these dark days? Find out all about Ziemi.

 

This research was done as part of the TNO Fast track program, designed to accelerate innovations within start-ups, scale-ups or SMEs. https://fasttrack.tno.nl/

 

The complete survey is available here to download.

For further information, please contact
David Gribnau, public relations
T. 035-533 72 26
M. 06-20415329
E. [email protected]

About Ziemi

Ziemi's Biomotion bike light makes your moving legs visible from the front and side, making you recognizable as a cyclist and 5 times safer in traffic. The idea was conceived by Luci and Douwe, two young inventors from Amsterdam. 

Their ambition is clear: To make traffic safer through innovation. Ziemi wants to improve the standard of safety in the Netherlands. With their ideology to enlighten the traffic participant, they increase visibility and realize positive social impact.

It's time for real enlightenment.