Researchers at the TNO scientific institute are developing a bike which warns about dangers on the road, the Telegraaf said on Wednesday.

One researcher told the paper bikes with hand grips or saddles which vibrate to alert cyclists to dangers will be on the Dutch roads within a few years. These ‘intelligent’ bikes will reduce accidents, particularly among older people, the researcher said. Every year 120 people aged over 55 die in bike accidents in the Netherlands.

‘We have equipped a standard electric bike with radar which can detect obstacles in the road and a camera at the back,’ project leader Joke Welten told the paper.

A prototype bike will begin trials next year and the smart bikes could be for sale a year later. The Telegraaf says adapting an existing electric bike will cost around €100.

A spokesman for cycling union Fietsersbond welcomed the news, saying new techniques can reduce a lot of problems cyclists face.