Anyone 50+ Using Incident Detection?
#101
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I would have said the same thing up until July 27 2019. After crashing at mile 39, I wasn't cognizant enough to use a phone till fully getting my senses back in my hospital room some 12 hours later. I still have no recollection of what happened to actually cause the wreck. Thankfully some walkers happened upon me soon after and they were medically trained.
I've got ANGi and Garmin's crash protection since the wreck. Now I need to get some camera's just in case I have amnesia next time.
Or maybe I'm misunderstanding what your point is.
I've got ANGi and Garmin's crash protection since the wreck. Now I need to get some camera's just in case I have amnesia next time.
Or maybe I'm misunderstanding what your point is.
There are risks to everything. I don't see how these gadgets mitigate any risk. Climbing ropes are good. They catch you if you fall. Helmets are good, they can save your head if you fall. I don't see how these gadgets protect you. All they do is hassle you and force you into a kind of device-dependence mindset that I don't care for. Garmin does not have "crash protection." Please. They have " excessive G-force notification" after the fact, like after your bike falls over after you leaned it against a wall and went in for coffee.
A fellow rider had a bad accident last summer - got hit by a van during a descent. The driver probably had no idea that bikes could go that fast. He got medical help appropriately, wife notified, etc. His response was that he sold all his single bikes. Now he's only going to ride tandem with his wife on group rides. Tandems are in fact much safer than singles because drivers treat them more like vehicles and one is also much safer in a group of expert riders for much the same reason. He did not run out and buy the latest gadget to do whatever. There's a wonderful poem about this sort of thing, but my geezer brain just won't bring it up.
My wife and I have RoadID dog tags around our necks with all the information an EMT or admitting nurse would want to see. We'll let the authorities take it from there. Like I said above, for when there's a serious possibility of not coming back, we carry a PLB. Although I have to admit that's probably overkill, too. I only know of two people who vanished in my state and were not saved from their own stupidity or carelessness, whatever it was. Out of probably hundreds of thousands, so a vanishingly small risk. Still, it's only 4 oz. and never bothers us. I have a much-admired backcountry skier friend who carries one, so we got one, too. And we did see a helicopter come in response once, though it wasn't for anyone we knew. That was after we'd already started carrying it, but we felt a bit better about the 4 oz. afterwards.
This past Monday, we were out riding and had a mechanical in front of a fire station. An EMT or firefighter came out and talked with us. We asked her about the utility of RoadIDs. She said, "Oh, they're great. We always find one if the person has one as soon as we cut their clothes off."
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#102
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On a Garmin, Incident Detection means that if the device thinks you've been in an accident, it sounds an alarm for a few seconds and then if you don't stop it, it sends an alert via SMS to the person you have listed as the recipient of incident alerts. The message will contain a link to a map with the GPS coordinates so that you can be located easily.
The incident detection feature can have false positives. One time I stopped quickly in my driveway after hitting the driveway entrance transition bump between the road and the end of the driveway. Apparently that two inch bump along with a sudden (but fully in control) stop was enough to make the GPS think I'd had a wreck. It almost texted my brother, but I stopped it before it could. Nevertheless, even with some false positives, it's still a useful feature.
Garmin also sells rear lights that have proximity radar built in. Those devices will warn the rider when a vehicle is approaching from behind. If you don't need another light, Garmin also makes a model that only has the radar sensor, no light.
If you search you'll also find that someone makes a rear camera / rear light combination unit. It's not cheap, but could capture on camera an incident of road rage, harassment, or being rear-ended. In the front, camera options abound; gopro, and other manufacturers make cameras that easily mount to bicycles.
Ultimately there is nothing that will guarantee someone's not going to hit you. I think the best defense really is visibility. There will be the idiots who intentionally endanger or harass, but mostly increasing visibility is going to increase safety. I have a rear light that is very bright. I leave it flashing anytime I'm riding, day or night. I have a forward facing light that I use in flashing mode during the day, and as a headlight at night. And when I'm riding at night I also have an amber side-light. There are several on the market. I'm pretty visible.
#103
I'm good to go!
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My point is that I and everyone I know who has crashed, and everyone on this thread who's crashed, got the help they needed with loved ones notified appropriately and etc. These are well-marketed devices looking for a problem and hoping there are enough frightened people out there to make the development costs worthwhile. I'm trying to recall a time when I was afraid.
There are risks to everything. I don't see how these gadgets mitigate any risk. Climbing ropes are good. They catch you if you fall. Helmets are good, they can save your head if you fall. I don't see how these gadgets protect you. All they do is hassle you and force you into a kind of device-dependence mindset that I don't care for. Garmin does not have "crash protection." Please. They have " excessive G-force notification" after the fact, like after your bike falls over after you leaned it against a wall and went in for coffee.
A fellow rider had a bad accident last summer - got hit by a van during a descent. The driver probably had no idea that bikes could go that fast. He got medical help appropriately, wife notified, etc. His response was that he sold all his single bikes. Now he's only going to ride tandem with his wife on group rides. Tandems are in fact much safer than singles because drivers treat them more like vehicles and one is also much safer in a group of expert riders for much the same reason. He did not run out and buy the latest gadget to do whatever. There's a wonderful poem about this sort of thing, but my geezer brain just won't bring it up.
But there is this thing that spouse's have between each other... My wife and I have long shared our location with each other via Google Maps and our phones. She tells me that out of the blue she decided she needed to check on me. And apparently that was the moment after I crashed. She noticed my position wasn't changing and it was a location I'd have no reason to be stopped. She was about to call 911 when the people that found me called her with my phone and said they had an ambulance on the way and explained what had occurred.
So maybe you are right, we don't need these things. We all just need a spouse
My wife and I have RoadID dog tags around our necks with all the information an EMT or admitting nurse would want to see. We'll let the authorities take it from there. Like I said above, for when there's a serious possibility of not coming back, we carry a PLB. Although I have to admit that's probably overkill, too. I only know of two people who vanished in my state and were not saved from their own stupidity or carelessness, whatever it was. Out of probably hundreds of thousands, so a vanishingly small risk. Still, it's only 4 oz. and never bothers us. I have a much-admired backcountry skier friend who carries one, so we got one, too. And we did see a helicopter come in response once, though it wasn't for anyone we knew. That was after we'd already started carrying it, but we felt a bit better about the 4 oz. afterwards.
This past Monday, we were out riding and had a mechanical in front of a fire station. An EMT or firefighter came out and talked with us. We asked her about the utility of RoadIDs. She said, "Oh, they're great. We always find one if the person has one as soon as we cut their clothes off."
This past Monday, we were out riding and had a mechanical in front of a fire station. An EMT or firefighter came out and talked with us. We asked her about the utility of RoadIDs. She said, "Oh, they're great. We always find one if the person has one as soon as we cut their clothes off."
Just using you for making counterpoints. I'm okay with you doing your own thing. I don't think such stuff is a must have for everyone. It's just a choice like color of bicycle.
Last edited by Iride01; 04-01-21 at 08:42 AM.
#104
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FWIW, Specialized has a technology called ANGI that they include with many of their helmets. It was a subscription service but in 2019 or so it became free. Same basic deal. it knows when you've experienced certain forces and will contact an emergency contact with GPS Coordinates. It all runs in conjunction with your phone... when you crash it starts a timer. If you do not disable it, it will send the emergency notification.
I have one on my Specialized helmet. However, I simply use the Strava Beacon. Among other things even if they miss the incident, the Strave app, if active, can tell them where I am specifically so they can check in or whatever.
I had not thought about the line that I need a GPS computer for the bike because it will send incidents as they happen to my safety contacts! LOL.
I have one on my Specialized helmet. However, I simply use the Strava Beacon. Among other things even if they miss the incident, the Strave app, if active, can tell them where I am specifically so they can check in or whatever.
I had not thought about the line that I need a GPS computer for the bike because it will send incidents as they happen to my safety contacts! LOL.