I’ll be honest, a few douche bag bicyclists have made me turn against all bicyclists that use the road. Here in Vancouver, you’ll see many posted signs that say “Share the Road” with bicyclists. Sharing the road however does not mean that people on bicycles take up the entire lane and block fast moving traffic. It’s dangerous and forces drivers to either make sudden lane changes or brake hard creating the perfect scenario to be rear ended. Bike lanes are great but there are not nearly enough of them and of course nobody wants to front the bill to implement them.
Although I’m not a fan of bicyclists, I do understand that the streets can be a dangerous place for them. Just as there are jackass cyclists, there are also jackass drivers. Research has shown that 40 percent of bicyclist fatalities occur when the rider is struck from behind by a car or a truck. The Varia Rearview Radar is here to help reduce that number and give bicyclists “eyes” in the back of their head. The Garmin Varia Rearview Radar is the world’s first cycling radar that warns of vehicles which are approaching from behind up to 140 meters away.
The Varia is also able to detect multiple vehicles, their speed of approach, and how much of a threat is posed to the bicyclist. Not only is the bicyclist aware of the approaching vehicle from behind but the system also works with a tail light to warn the approaching vehicle that there is a biker on the road which brightens and flashes.
Both bicyclists and drivers should always be alert and on the lookout for each other but the Garmin Varia Rearview Radar will hopefully make the roads a safer place. The system is available for $199 and more details are available at the Garmin website.
