In an attempt to make cycling safer, Volvo and its ad agency, Grey London, have joined up with the Swedish start-up @Albedo100UK to release a spray paint that makes surfaces glow in the glare of headlights.
The spray is being given away in cycle shops in London and Kent and could be sold globally if the trial is successful.
The campaign is designed to draw attention to Volvo’s new XC90 car, which is built with added safety features. It includes an online film as well as posters treated with Life Paint that reveal their message when hit by a camera’s flash.
Volvo has waded in to the cycling safety debate and familiar waters with Life Paint, the latest piece of technology for cyclists to wear to help those in vehicles see them on the roads.
Earlier this week we reported on Volvo’s offer of free Life Paint for cyclists and almost inevitably Volvo’s move has drawn criticism from some cycle campaigners sparking, among other things, an online petition.
Nonetheless the freebies have flown off the shelves, with Spitalfields’ bike shop Peloton & Co shifting 500 cans in two days, with hundreds more phone requests from as far away as Australia.
Volvo Lifepaint "Glow-In-The-Dark" spray paint manufactured by @Albedo100UK is fantastic. Keep cyclists safe at night pic.twitter.com/Isxyzuu9gs
— François CS (@francoiscs) March 31, 2015
However, while Volvo asserts its laudable aim to reduce serious injury and deaths caused by its new cars to zero by 2020, concerns have been raised over the efficacy of the product in terms of improving safety, which appears not to be backed by any research. Meanwhile the video it produced to market Life Paint is criticised for overplaying cycling risks.