Waze's new Garmin-powered feature could make roads a lot safer for cyclists

If you use Waze regularly, you probably know how handy its alerts can be. Whether it’s a car stopped on the side of the road, an accident ahead, or an unexpected pothole, getting a heads-up before you reach it can make driving a little easier. But there’s one thing that’s often much harder to anticipate, especially on busy roads: cyclists. Waze is now looking to change that with a little help from Garmin.

A few days ago, we reported that Waze was working with Garmin to make cyclists more visible to drivers. The two companies have now officially announced their partnership, bringing real-time cyclist alerts to Waze on both Android and iOS.

So, if you own a compatible Garmin Edge bike computer or Garmin smartwatch, you can enable Garmin LiveTrack and opt in to sharing your presence with nearby Waze users. Once you do, drivers can see a moving cyclist icon on their Waze map and get a notification when you’re nearby.

This could be particularly helpful on narrow streets, busy intersections, or roads where cyclists aren’t always easy to spot.

One limitation is worth noting, though. The feature only works for cyclists with supported Garmin devices who have opted in. So, if someone is riding a bicycle without a Garmin device, Waze won’t be able to alert drivers about them through this integration. It’s certainly not a replacement for checking your surroundings, but it does give drivers another reason to pay attention.

Waze already helps drivers stay aware of what’s happening on the road, and with Garmin-powered cyclist alerts now rolling out globally on Android and iOS, it’s taking that a step further by helping drivers keep an eye out for cyclists, too.