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Motorcyclists are constantly trying to come up with ways to make themselves more visible. All of the protective safety gear in the world doesn’t do you much good if other drivers can’t see you. An IndieGoGo campaign for a product called BrakeFree, which has hit 220 percent of its goal with over $110,000 pledged, is planning to help with that.
BrakeFree is, in its own words, “The smart brake light for motorcyclists.” It’s an LED brake light that mounts to the back of your motorcycle helmet. In theory, it can be used with any helmet. It has sensors that can tell when you’re braking, engine braking, or even downshifting. The light doesn’t communicate with your bike, it can just tell when you’re slowing down and alerts those behind you by getting brighter. It even has a special light pattern when it detects emergency braking.
But it isn’t just for braking. Like the taillight on your bike, it’s always on; it just gets brighter when you’re braking. This makes it good for improving both day and night visibility. It’s lightweight (at six ounces), weather resistant, and it has a battery that lasts eight hours on a full charge. Simply recharge it via micro USB.
It attaches to your helmet with a magnetic mount, making it easy to take on and off for charging or moving it to different helmets. Turn it on even while wearing your gloves with one button on top. When it turns on, it gives you a flashing pattern to give you an idea of how much battery you have left.
If you want a BrakeFree, make a donation of $119 to their IndieGoGo page. You can also get accessories, apparel, and a special “Storm Trooper” addition at different donation levels. Maybe now you’ll have fewer drivers trying to merge into you.