Reflective paint which car manufacturers Volvo produced to help cyclists make themselves more visible will be on sale at dealerships from this weekend.

Life Paint, designed by Swedish start up Albedo100 and sponsored by Volvo, was launched in April this year and given away to cyclists at six bike shops in Kent and London as part of a pilot programme.

The idea went down so well the car manufacturers have now secured a partnership with Albedo 100 and are producing more Life Paint paint to sell at 76 dealers nationwide.

The unique reflective spray costs £10 and can be applied to clothes, bikes, backpacks and even pet collars. It is invisible in daylight but reacts to car headlights, illuminating any object treated with it. The spray washes off and lasts a little over a week before reapplication is required.

Volvo say they are committed to reducing accidents, and the Volvo Life Paint project was inspired by their ‘Intellisafe detection system. This safety feature is available on the new Volvo XC90 and uses sensors and cameras to identify any movement the driver should be aware of, automatically braking the car if the driver does not react.

Volvo are working towards ‘Vision 2020’ – a concept that no one should be killed or seriously injured in a new Volvo by 2020, and they’ve also introduced headlights that are integrated with steering to help drivers see round corners.

Nick Connor, Managing Director at Volvo Car UK, said: “Every year more than 19,000 cyclists are injured on the UK’s roads. At Volvo, we believe that the best way to survive a crash is not to crash at all, and are committed to making the roads a safer place by reducing the number of accidents.

“Volvo is a world-leader in safety technology, and we are proud to be extending our reach beyond just those driving our cars. By making cyclists increasingly visible as well as increasing the safety capabilities of our cars, we are doing our utmost to protect everyone on the road.”

The paint will be available from dealers this weekend – and to celebrate the launch you will be able to get items sprayed for free on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. Find a dealer near you here.

Want to stand out more? Check out our top ten reflective jackets.