Proceedings of 2017 ASEE Northeast Section Conference

Wireless Blind Spot Detection for Motorcycles
Matthew Fitch
Abstract

Motorcycle accidents account for 15% of all traffic deaths; 60% of which, were multi-vehicle accidents. This a is a staggering number considering only 2% of vehicles are motorcycles. This highlights the issue that motorcyclists may not always be aware of their surroundings, and could use some external help. When traveling at speeds of 70 mph a motorcyclist when merging who looks in their blind spot for 2 seconds travels 200 ft in that time. To assist motorcyclists, we installed a blind spot detection system which can be mounted on the driver’s motorcycle. The driver will only be alerted when the blinker is on and there is a car in their blind spot. To only alert the driver when someone is in their blind spot, and in the adjacent lane, we are using 10.525 GHz radar sensors which will only measure a specified range (5-10m). In order to alert the driver, LED displays would be located on either side driver’s helmet producing a warning signal if the indicated lane is not clear. This will allow the driver to keep their eyes on the road. This is not meant to replace the head/mirror check, however it is intended to be an assistive device.



Last modified: 2017-03-28

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