I had been following a product that attached to your helmet for about a year, before its production. Brake Free is a brake light that illuminates whenever it detects that your motorcycle is decelerated. An accelerometer detects your motorcycle’s deceleration, and in turn, illuminates the brake light mounted on your helmet.
In 2019, I barely avoided being killed when a vehicle in front of me suddenly braked while turning through a high-speed intersection. What saved me from being crushed was just luck. The truck that was following me left the intersection a second or two later that I did on my bike, so there was a gap between me and the truck behind. In the accident I went through the back window of the LandRover in front of me and the truck behind was able to brake in time to not crush my motorcycle, which was a write off in any event.
Before this riding season I purchased Brake Free and installed it on one of my helmets. I bought additional mounting brackets so that I can move the accessory onto my other helmets. I cannot help but notice the change in the behavior of other drivers around me. It is not uncommon to have someone pull up beside me and ask me where I got the product, as they are so impressed with its ability to detect deceleration.
If you truly want to make yourself more visible on the road, especially at night, then purchase Brake Free. It may save your life. I’m not being hyperbolic. Being struck from behind by a vehicle incapable of stopping is a real risk. It’s also the primary reason I would like to see lane filtering allowed in Canada generally.
I was only able to ride my motorcycle for a period of five days at the very end of the season this last year due to injury. In that time I saw a rider on a Harley Davidson being hit from behind by a driver who did not stop. Her quote to him, and I, as I pulled over to help, was; “I just didn’t see you.”
Buy yourself some piece of mind and consider purchasing Brake Free. It may be the best purchase you make as an avid motorcyclist.
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