Waze is rolling out a new safety feature that alerts drivers about nearby cyclists using real-time location data from Garmin devices. With this addition, the navigation app will display both map markers ahead of drivers and on-screen alerts when a cyclist with a compatible Garmin device is nearby.
How It Works and Privacy Considerations
The system kicks in when a cyclist opts in from a Garmin Edge bike computer or a Garmin smartwatch, enabling Garmin’s LiveTrack to share their location with Waze. Once enabled, drivers seeing someone riding nearby will get a temporary alert, but won’t receive identifying information about the cyclist or their route. When the bike ride ends, alerts for that ride disappear automatically.
Availability and Platforms
This functionality launches today across Waze apps on both Android and iOS. The rollout is designed to enhance driver awareness of cyclists in real time, contributing to safer shared road use.
This update follows growing trends to use connected device data—like wearables and bike computers—to help reduce collisions and improve road safety. Waze’s collaboration with Garmin fits into a broader shift where navigation tools leverage opt-in location sharing to foster safer interactions between motorists and cyclists.
Why It Matters: This marks a meaningful step in vehicle-cyclist safety. By providing drivers with timely—and anonymous—alerts, the feature could reduce accidents involving cyclists. It balances safety needs with privacy, letting riders stay anonymous while driving awareness rises.
