Accident Alert / Tracker

[Penttithefinn]

As someone who usually rides alone I always take the usual spares and tools which is fine if you are ok, but recently "because I am getting on a bit" and having had a few "offs" I have been considering my safety a bit more seriously. Last week this was brought to a head by someone having had a fall and suffering from concussion and getting lost on a local trail. Having done the same 25 years ago with my young children, I headed in completely the wrong direction from where my car was but came a across a road where I stopped. My 8 yr daughter tried to flag down a car, but having seen me covered in blood they drove on, luckily the second car stopped which contained a retired Police Chief and his wife, a retired nurse. To give an idea what concussion is like, I asked the nurse what had happened, to which she replied "you have had an accident" to which I asked " where the f**k is the car then" me having thought I had a car crash!!!
So having had a quick look at Busby and some suggesting Wahoo, has anyone had any first hand experience of Accident alert apps and what would you say is the strengths or weaknesses. TIA

 

[simonk]

Apple Watch series 4 and above offer fall detection which works well.

 

[Slymobi]

I always send the missus a text when leaving, " be with you soon ( insert incorrect name here ) xxx " This has her calling every 10 minutes checking up on me if i forget the text then i am always sharing my location via google maps. Although its not ideal at least if im gone over a substantial time she can get an indication of where i am.

 

[Kiwibloke]

See my post SOS on Apple Watch.

 

[SwissMountainLeader]

Depends how seriously worried you are

A few people use EchoSOS (used to be Echo112) for which you’ll need to be able to get to your phone, have signal and use it. In the UK you can register for emergency 99 SMS as well which is a good idea.

More remotely, something like a Garmin Inreach either integrated with a GPS or a standalone device working with another Garmin GPS. You can use those to live track and someone can check your last position if you’re overdue.

Or a satellite phone of course for those places where there’s no signal.

 

[Konanige]

Specialized Angi works quite well and doesn't require you to do anything after the impact, so if your out of it it'll send an alert!!! Could never understand these phone apps that expect you to press buttons on your phone when your unconscious!!

 

[Sidepod]

Have this function on the Flyon. Had the bike upside down in the workshop a few weeks ago. The phone rang, it was a mate wanting to know if I was ok.

Oh how we laughed!!

 

[sunstoner]

I dont have a dedicated device as such with any auto-sensing.

Should i press a button on my watch or phone 3 times quickly it alerts a few people to my whereabouts. No good of course if im out for the count.

Via Google maps app, i permanently share my location with my wife when out. For a basic free option it works pretty well where theres a signal.

 

[Shinn]

Apple watch has been a good choice for me, as long as your within cell phone range. I logged my first hard fall of the year today, watch was vibrating and beeping asking me if I was OK or if I need help. It will alert your emergency contacts and call emergency services if your not moving for 30 sec or so...I posted a review in the reviews thread.

I'd look at the ANGI if I didn't have an iPhone.

 

[Swissrider]

My Garmin edge has a fall detection, but it depends on what happens to the bike. Had my first big off yesterday - lost the front wheel of a narrow track, with a steep drop to the left. I sort of dived over the bike down into the woods and ended up several metres below the bike. The bike was just laid down relatively gently so no accident alert was sent off. Fortunately, I landed in soft leaves and was unhurt (apart from dented pride). I do also have a wahoo which my son gave me as he is concerned about me riding on my own and maybe this would have picked up the fall, but the app has to be turned on and like any GPS app it can run the phone battery down. As others have pointed out, one also needs phone coverage. Both my Garmin and wahoo are set up to alert my wife in the event of an accident and this assumes that she has her phone with her - not always the case. It comes back to that old safety measure of at least someone knowing where you’ve gone so if you don’t appear at least the rescue services know where to look.

 

[Hamina]

Apple watch 6 + Strava's automatic beacon (needs subscription) seems to be quite good combo for local trails. The watch alarms after fall detection has triggered if you don't response to it and at the background Strava sends quite realtime location to your defined point of contact.

The watch contact list is based on your Apple Health emergency contacts.

 

[MrSimmo]

Apple Watch gets my vote. I use the cellular version so dont need my phone for it to work. The mobile coverage isnt as strong as a phone but still excellent. The fall detection (for me at least) works better and more accurately than Garmin and others I’ve used. Downside is what happened with the kids (see @Kiwibloke SOS thread)

 

[Tim1023]

I have a Garmin Venu, which has the accident detect, if you want it. Nothing is 100% reliable, and I've had a few false alerts (like when I was trying to shake blood back into my hands at minus 12!), but better than nowt. One annoying thing about the Garmin is that it always vibrates when you stop and start, so I never notice the vibration when the alert goes off!

I also share my ride via the Garmin with her. Means that I need to send the odd message if I'm sitting having a sandwich, as she gets a bit panicky if my speed is 0 for too long.

There are some RFID stickers that you can get which share emergency information and contact details in case you are found unconscious. I haven't gone that far yet.

 

[Penttithefinn]

My Garmin edge has a fall detection, but it depends on what happens to the bike. Had my first big off yesterday - lost the front wheel of a narrow track, with a steep drop to the left. I sort of dived over the bike down into the woods and ended up several metres below the bike. The bike was just laid down relatively gently so no accident alert was sent off. Fortunately, I landed in soft leaves and was unhurt (apart from dented pride). I do also have a wahoo which my son gave me as he is concerned about me riding on my own and maybe this would have picked up the fall, but the app has to be turned on and like any GPS app it can run the phone battery down. As others have pointed out, one also needs phone coverage. Both my Garmin and wahoo are set up to alert my wife in the event of an accident and this assumes that she has her phone with her - not always the case. It comes back to that old safety measure of at least someone knowing where you’ve gone so if you don’t appear at least the rescue services know where to look.

Busby uses W3W as far as I can tell.

 

[ragnor]

In the fond hope that I might be concious at some time after an accident I carry a
McMurdo FastFind 220 Personal Locator Beacon for mountaineering. Works off satellites so phone signal not required. It does require a reasonably clear view of the sky so you might be stuffed in a ditch in the forest.? No subscription required and battery lasts about five years.

There's also of course the Garmin inReach Mini & the SPOT Gen3 Satellite GPS Tracker & similar. These can become somewhat expensive once you factor in subscriptions for such devices.

 

[Asemnos]

My Samsung Active 2 has a fall detection, it sends a message with gps track signal and calls my wife's number.
Hopefully I haven't tested it yet