A few months ago, I wrote about ROAD iD’s free real-time GPS tracking App that I use to alert my emergency contact if I am stationary for a set period of time. Click here to read that blog. While I love this app and use it on every ride, the drawback is that it is a stationary alert. So, I must stop moving for more than 5 minutes before my emergency contact is notified. Unquestionably, a stationary alert can be a life saver. Especially in those cases where the driver is more concerned about fleeing responsibility than saving a life and leaves their victim laying along the side of the road.
However, in a traumatic injury, there is what is commonly know as the golden hour. This is the period of time when there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical and surgical treatment will prevent death. Needless to say, the sooner the emergency response providers are notified, the better.
This is where my bicycle computer, a Garmin Edge 1030, fills the gap with incident detection. The sensors within the device, along with any other paired sensors such as a speed or cadence sensor, are used to determine if there has been an impact. If an impact is detected, my Garmin will use my mobile phone to send a message within 30 seconds to my emergency contact with my last known location. Now, my bicycle computer is much more than a device used for navigation and to gather useful ride statistics, it can also save my life!
Ken Whittaker