Garmin has teamed up with navigation app Waze to give motorists real-time alerts when cyclists are riding nearby, using location data shared from compatible Garmin Edge bike computers and smartwatches. The new feature will display a moving cyclist icon on the Waze app’s map to warn drivers of a rider’s presence and hopefully improve safety.
If you’re not familiar with Waze, it’s a community-driven navigation app that’s said to be used by 200 million drivers around the world. What do you reckon – could this be the shape of things to come?
Susan Lyman, Garmin vice president of consumer sales and marketing, says, “Garmin is well-known in the cycling industry for its safety-focused products and features, and we are excited to work with Waze to bring this unique feature to cyclists and drivers alike. By increasing awareness between cyclists and motorists, this new tool is designed to foster a safer riding environment for Garmin customers by giving drivers valuable real-time visibility to their whereabouts, helping to create a more connected experience for everyone on the road.”
How does it work?
When you start an outdoor cycling activity, you can opt in via the Garmin Connect app to share your LiveTrack location with Waze drivers (you need to use a compatible smartphone and the Garmin Connect app). If you’re worried about your privacy, location sharing is temporary and session-based, and your personal information will not be shared or displayed in Waze.
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From a driver’s point of view, Waze shows Live Cycling Alerts when a Garmin cyclist (who has opted in) is nearby, with a moving icon on the road.
What is Garmin LiveTrack?
LiveTrack is a free feature that has been included with many Garmin Edge bike computers and Garmin smartwatches since 2012, including all the current Garmin Edge computers.
It allows you to share your live location with family and friends so they can track your real-time location, speed, course plans and so on.
Now, though, LiveTrack is being used in a completely new area.
“This collaboration brings greater peace of mind to cyclists by extending the benefit of LiveTrack to motorists using Waze for greater awareness of their surroundings,” says Garmin.
And before anyone says it in the comments, yes, Waze users will still be expected to use their eyes to be aware of surrounding traffic, including cyclists. This link-up is intended to be supplementary.
“Safety is a top priority for Waze, and we’re excited to collaborate with Garmin to help keep cyclists safer on the road,” says Gai Berkovich, vice president and general manager of Waze. “By bringing Live Cycling Alerts to Waze, we’re giving drivers a helpful heads-up so they can slow down, stay aware and safely share the road.”
Of course, the usefulness of the collaboration will be limited by the number of drivers using the Waze app and the number of Garmin users who allow their LiveTrack location to be shared. But what do you think of the concept? A winner or not?
