Garmin and Waze just teamed up on a clever new way to keep cyclists safer

Garmin and Waze are teaming up on an interesting new safety feature that could give cyclists a little extra protection when sharing the road with cars – by making cyclists themselves show up in Waze. The new feature allows cyclists using a compatible Garmin Edge bike computer or Garmin smartwatch to share their location through Garmin’s LiveTrack feature. That location can then appear in real time to nearby drivers using Waze, with cyclists displayed as moving icons on the road. As someone who recently joined the Garmin family myself with a smartwatch for tracking my cycling, running, and other activities, this is exactly the type of feature I love seeing added to the platform. I’ve long maintained that safety – or more accurately, the perception that cycling isn’t safe – is one of the biggest impediments to getting more people onto bikes. That’s especially true in the US, where cyclists are often forced to share roads with cars instead of enjoying the kind of widespread separated cycling infrastructure found in many more bike-friendly countries. And when a cyclist and a multi-ton vehicle have to occupy the same space, making sure the driver knows that cyclist is there can make a big difference. Of course, an icon on Waze isn’t going to magically make cycling safe. It won’t replace protected bike lanes, better road design, slower vehicle speeds, or attentive drivers. But I can certainly imagine situations where it could help. Riding at night or in poor visibility, approaching a blind curve, or simply traveling on a narrow road where a driver might otherwise come upon a cyclist unexpectedly are all situations where an advance warning could be useful. The feature is opt-in through Garmin Connect and activates when the cyclist starts an outdoor cycling activity. Garmin says location sharing is temporary and session-based, and that cyclists’ personal information isn’t displayed in Waze. Of course, anyone who uses a personal GPS device has already accepted that their location is shared with Big Tech in exchange for features they value, but at least we know that any personalized info stays within Garmin instead of proliferating even further. Garmin LiveTrack itself is free for users with compatible Garmin devices and previously allowed cyclists to share their live location, speed, route, and other information with friends and family. I’ve used it myself as a safety feature when venturing off-road and on longer solo journeys. The Waze integration essentially expands that safety net to nearby motorists. There’s obviously one big limitation: You need to be riding with a compatible Garmin device, and the driver needs to be using Waze. But with Waze claiming around 200 million users globally and Garmin being one of the biggest names in cycling computers and fitness watches, that’s not exactly a tiny Venn diagram. Anything that gives drivers another chance to see cyclists before actually seeing them sounds like a win to me. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.