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Volvo’s Highly Reflective Life Paint Hits Canadian Market – Application to Improve Cyclist Safety

by Lisa Evans

October 09, 2015 – According to the CAA, around 7,500 cyclists are seriously injured each year. One out of three cyclist deaths occur at night or when there’s artificial lighting. To improve the safety of cyclists on the road, Volvo has come up with a reflective spray paint called Life Paint that can be sprayed on bike gear, clothing and your bike frame. Invisible during the day, the paint illuminates all sprayed areas when placed in the glare of car headlights. It doesn’t cause any damage to the surfaces it’s sprayed on and can last 7-10 days, but can also be washed off with a wet rag, breaking down like dirt.

Volvo Life Paint  ©

Known as the safest automotive brand on the road, Volvo created Life Paint to align with its Vision 2020 initiative. “Vision 2020 is a goal of ours that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020,” says Public Relations and Events Manager Kyle Denton. While this initiative speaks to vehicular accidents, Volvo is also concerned about pedestrian and cyclist safety.

Since 2013, Volvo has installed pedestrian detection systems in all of their cars and in 2014, the company partnered with POC, a helmet manufacturer, to present the first connected two-way communication system between cars and helmets. Volvo drivers are alerted to a nearby cyclist through a display alert and the POC helmet wearing cyclist is alerted via a helmet-mounted alert light and vibration. “Life Paint is just another opportunity for us to keep the roads safe both inside the vehicle and outside the vehicle,” says Denton.

Volvo Life Paint  ©

Volvo Life Paint launched in the Spring 2015 in the UK as a pilot program with six bicycle shops testing the product. Cyclists and pedestrians were thrilled with the product, leading Volvo to take it abroad. LifePaint will launch in Canada in late October 2015 and will be available at all Volvo Canada dealerships. Although the price has not yet been released, Denton says it will be “affordable”.

Volvo Life Paint on a bicycle  ©

For Denton, who lives in downtown Toronto, Life Paint is a no-brainer, especially as we head into the winter months. “The days are getting shorter and the more close calls I’m seeing between cyclists and drivers are too many to count,” he added.

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