May is Motorcycle Awareness Month, so the team at Rokform went on the hunt for the best tips, tricks, and tools for helping you stay safe while you’re out riding this season. While some riders were fortunate enough to get out and ride still during last year’s pandemic, some weren’t able to make it happen. That means some riders are feeling a bit rusty on their riding skills and best safety practices.
Fortunately, there are a lot of great resources for staying safe on your motorcycle, along with a cool app that helps you contact your friends and family in the event of an accident—without you having to even touch your phone.
Considerations For Safer Motorcycle Riding
Motorcycles are far fewer in number than cars, trucks, and SUVs. Because motorcycles are a less common encounter for motorists, it’s crucial to remember they may not see you when you’re riding. Not only are motorcycles unexpected, but they’re also smaller, making it easy for motorists to not see you at all.
The fact is, when motorcycles get in accidents with other vehicles, it’s most often the driver of the other vehicle who entered the right of way of the motorcycle, according to the NHTSA. Raising public awareness about motorcycles can go a long way in preventing these types of accidents.
Why Drivers Enter The Path Of Motorcycles So Often
Motorcycles are small in size, which makes it easy for them to be in blind spots of drivers. Even the columns alongside the windshield (the A-pillars) are enough to totally blind drivers to motorcycles in their path as they turn.
Drivers are also not good at predicting where motorcycles will go next, largely because many of them have never ridden a motorcycle and don’t understand the variety of reasons behind their maneuvers.
Of course, the most prevalent threat and cause for collisions is distracted driving. There are far too many drivers who hold their phones instead of mounting them in a windshield dash mount where they can see the road. Drivers also eat and drink while driving, not only distracting them but also impeding their physical ability to react quickly.
An App To Keep Your Loved Ones Updated While You Ride
With the EatSleepRIDE app, aside from sharing your live location, you can keep three of your family and friends updated in case of an accident while you’re riding. The built-in CRASHLIGHT® technology senses crash impacts while riding and automatically sends an alert to your pre-selected emergency contacts along with your location so you can get help fast.
How Does CRASHLIGHT® Work?
CRASHLIGHT® works with the accelerometer, gyroscope, and GPS data generated by your phone as you ride to detect the unique signatures caused by a crash instantly. If the alert is not canceled at the end of three minutes, your emergency contacts are notified via phone call, text, and email with your last known GPS coordinates. When the app notifies your contacts of your location and emergency information, they are in control of dispatching your preferred emergency services.
The crash detection works if you keep your phone in a jacket pocket while riding or in a tank bag or pannier. If you’re using your phone for GPS navigation as well, you can have your phone mounted in a secure handlebar mount that will keep your phone attached even in a crash. Remember to test that engine vibration doesn’t affect the crash detection sensors first by taking a short ride around the block.
If you drop your phone, CRASHLIGHT® has a complex monitoring algorithm that prevents false alerts. Once activated, there is a three-minute window of time for you to cancel the alert being sent out in the rare event a false detection occurs. Also, if a crash is detected and you continue riding, the app will auto-cancel the alert.
Get Help Without Lifting A Finger
The most significant benefit to the EatSleepRIDE app’s CRASHLIGHT® feature is that you don’t need to press any buttons or take action yourself to get help, unlike with other emergency contact devices like the Spot tracker. Crashes are automatically detected, and contacts are notified with no action necessary by the rider.
If you’re in an area with weak cell service, the app will continuously retry to access the service until it can send the notifications out.
Photo Credit: Eat Sleep Ride App
No Need To Buy New Hardware
With an app that runs on your phone to keep you safe, you don’t need to buy any additional hardware or find a place to put yet another piece of gear when you’re already short on space. All you need is an iPhone or Android smartphone with cell service access.
The Spot device does require new hardware but does offer the benefit of sending notifications even where zero cell phone service exists, as it’s satellite-based. There’s also an annual subscription fee for the Spot service. Comparatively, EatSleepRIDE is free to download and is billed monthly.
So, if you ride mostly where there’s cell phone service, the EatSleepRIDE app is the clear choice over the Spot, especially when considering the core benefits of the app that help you find new routes and connect with other riders. But if you’re more into off-road adventures with no cell networks available, the $100+ Spot plus an over $100 annual subscription might be a worthwhile investment.
EatSleepRIDE App Features
Beyond the crash detection and alert features, EatSleepRIDE can track your rides and help you connect with other riders in the area or in places you’re planning to travel to. You can get the local lowdown on the best routes to ride and even meet up with other riders to find hidden gems.
All of the app’s core features are free, and the paid premium version unlocks the CRASHLIGHT® crash detection feature.
Core Features:
- Record and track rides.
- Save details about your ride like speed, distance, and lean angle.
- Find and share motorcycle routes all over the world.
- Create private group rides and find your friends on the live map.
- Collect miles and build your rank on a Leaderboard.
- Share your location with family and friends with live tracking.
- Stay informed about motorcycle events, stories, and news.
App Cost:
Core Features: Free
Premium Version with CRASHLIGHT®: $14.99 Per 12 months
Staying safe with your smartphone is easy when you can quickly and securely mount it to the handlebar of your motorcycle. Quickly access the EatSleepRIDE app and switch between navigation and weather apps for total situational awareness on your ride. Check out our lineup of motorcycle mounts for every style of bike.
Rokform has phone mounts for all types of motorcycles.
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