Scandi headwear chic that saves lives (Picture: Hövding 3)

After four years of research and development, Swedish brand Hövding has released their third generation cycling helmet.

Easier to use, adjustable and enabled with Bluetooth technology, the helmet, according to Hövding’s CEO Frederik Carling, is the world’s safest.

Donning advanced airbag tech and functions such as the ability to contact next-of-kin in the event of an accident, Frederik and the team spent years surveying people to make the kit as bespoke, safe and desirable as possible.

Fredrik says: ‘Our surveys of cyclists in seven major European cities show that 70% would cycle more if they felt safer. We have focused on this and want to contribute to greater safety.’




New features include the new patented airbag, along with an upgraded battery that can last for up to 15 hours. An iOS and Android compatible app allows the company to gather data relating to where urban cyclists experience the most accidents.

Hövding 3’s new features include Bluetooth and a longer battery life. Picture Credit: Hövding 3

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The result? Data that can be used to argue for more cycling infrastructure and, of course, tech that saves more lives.

Earlier this year, Transport for London released figures that saw a dramatic increase in the number of cyclists being killed or seriously injured as a result of road collisions.

Year-on-year, casualties increased by 26% and in the months between July and September last year, 1220 people were either hurt or killed according to all the statistics.

For the development of the third-gen Hövding, the team collected several amounts of data on cycle movements and accidents for the algorithm. This data included everything from staging more than 3000 accidents and collecting over 2,000 hours from your average cyclist.

When the design-savvy headgear is activated, it registers movements 200 times a second and in the event of an accident, is inflated in 0.1 seconds to enclose the head and hold the cyclist’s neck in place.

185,000 cyclists currently use it, with over 4,000 saying that it had made a significant difference during close calls.

In addition to all its safety features, Carling hopes that his helmet can be used to help the environment in the long run.

‘Cycling may be the answer to many of the challenges relating to the environment, congestion in cities and health, and we want to take cyclist protection to the next level,’ he says.

Want one? It costs £249 for the luxury.

Safety first, kids.

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