Ford has designed an 'Emoji Jacket' - to be worn by cyclists and which can transmit either their happiness or displeasure at your driving standards.
2,000 cyclist deaths on Europe's roads every year
Ford says that while it's never been easier to get out and up on a bike (thanks to instant-hire schemes such as Dublin Bikes, or tax breaks for buying a bike to use on your commute) the fact is that it can still be dangerous, when mixing it with road traffic.
Each year, according to the EU Commission's Traffic Safety Basic Facts, around 2,000 cyclists are killed on Europe's roads. Ford reckons that better communication, especially using a system that means the cyclist doesn't have to take their hands off the bars, could make things safer. Hence the Emoji Jacket.
Jacket can display six different emojis
Now 20 years old, emojis (described as the first language born of the digital world) are reckoned to be an easier way for people to express their emotions than using text, or even speech. Using a handlebar-mounted pad, a cyclist can activate the display screen on the back of the jacket, and use it to display a choice of emojis - happy face, sad face, neutral face, left and right arrows, and a hazard warning triangle. Sadly you can't yet use the aubergine-head emoji, nor an extended middle finger emoji, but surely those will come in time.
"We are now living - and driving - in a world where communication is crucial. But all too often between drivers and cyclists this just comes down to the beeping of a horn or a rude gesture. Cyclists usually have to take a hand off the handlebars to communicate. The Emoji Jacket uses a universally understood means of communication to show one way in which tensions could be eased - and we all learn to 'Share The Road'." Emmanuel Lubrani, 'Share The Road', Ford of Europe.
'An important emotional link'
"Emojis have become a fundamental part of how we use language. Whether used to convey facial expressions, humour, or sarcasm, they have become integral to our ability to express ourselves and quickly. This jacket created in partnership with Ford 'Share the Road' allows riders to express their feelings and creates an important emotional link between them and other road users." Dr. Neil Cohn PhD, assistant professor, Department of Communication and Cognition at Tilburg University, The Netherlands.
'Share The Road' is Ford's safety promotion programme, which seeks to improve understanding among drivers of just how vulnerable cyclists and other road users feel when in close proximity to other road traffic. The company has produced an award-winning virtual reality experience so that drivers and cyclists can better understand the challenges of each other's journeys. 'WheelSwap' enables motorists and cyclists to see how inconsiderate driving and riding can be at the least hair-raising - and potentially fatal - for their fellow road users. Initial studies show that after undergoing the experience, nearly all participants said they would change their behaviour.