Sunday, April 15, 2018

A Voice on the Road

Without a car, and with no license, 14-year-old Ben Lawson’s bicycle is his freedom. The Charlottesville resident owns a Fuji road bike and runs his own YouTube channel, MeepMotowhich he started when he was 10 years old. When he was 13, he began documenting bad drivers on his channel.

In his videos, Ben sports a bold helmet, which he purchased off eBay and later decorated with a red mohawk and stickers. Aside from giving him a unique look, Ben says that this helmet keeps him safe on the road. Not long after buying the helmet, he experienced a collision while biking:

"I got bad road rash on my knees, and an injured wrist (not broken/sprained, but still had to wear a brace for roughly a week). My helmet, on the other hand, saved my face. While a normal helmet only extends down to around the ears, mine covers down to my chin."



Safety is important to Ben, and he purchased a Loud Classic horn in October of 2017 to help keep him out of danger on the road. "I was shocked to see how loud it exactly was," he says. "The videos really don't do it justice! It's actually louder than my mom's horn."

He has been documenting bad drivers through his YouTube channel, and you can see demos of the Loud Classic on the road. 


His helmet, Loud Classic, and red armored gloves make for a potent ensemble. He’s also learned some tricks along the way:

"I personally have learned how to attempt to predict what car drivers will do based on a few key signs, such as wheels, speed, tail lights, etc."

Ben feels much safer riding with his horn — "I feel like I 'have a voice' with the cars, and I feel much more safe then I would without it."

We wanted to know if Ben has ever had a bad experience using the horn. "Only one, and that was when my button stopped working. I quickly contacted your support, and within a week had a brand new button free of charge. Great service!"

Happy biking, Ben!

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