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If a motorcycle crashes on a forest road, and nobody’s around to hear it, does it make a sound?
The answer is yes, especially if the rider is using Triumph’s new SOS app. They call it an “advanced accident detection and emergency alerting system from Triumph that automatically connects you to the nearest emergency services in your time of need.” This subscription service works for any motorcycle, though you’ll get the first three months for free if you already ride a Triumph.
The app isn’t connected to the motorcycle, although it was built to monitor rider safety from the ground up. SOS relies on your smartphone’s sensors and network connection to differentiate bumps from impacts and crashes; it also relies on movement, sound, and location data to validate before contacting local emergency services. Riders can cancel the call if needed. (Without a response, the app assumes you are incapacitated and begins the contact process. An auto-pause mode temporarily disables the system entirely if you’d like.) “Triumph SOS does not record or send any speed or telematics data to the emergency services,” they assure.
SOS was developed with RealSafe Technologies in the UK, a crash-detection specialist with several related systems already on the road. Together, they’ve pursued class-leading response times with the app. Other apps rely on friends or family who agree to be an emergency contact, they explain. Instead of alerting your emergency contact, who must then reach out to emergency services while processing the very difficult news, SOS goes straight to the closest dispatchers, providing your GPS coordinates, motorcycle model, direction of travel, and relevant medical history.
“We’re always looking for impact. Potholes don’t set this off,” they explain. “Cross-processes look at several parameters, with one of the most important being continued movement. A big strike followed by zero movement is call for concern.”
RealSafe spokesperson Andrew Richardson says they’ve spent years refining their process. “Let’s say you took a corner a little hot and lowsided, but you’re fine and so is your bike. The app allows a request cancellation at the rider’s discretion. If the rider does nothing or is unable to move, emergency responses will be dispatched.” RealSafe recognizes that their system is only as good as the local network connection, but they are looking to satellite internet as a possibility for better worldwide coverage.
Triumph’s SOS app is now available through the Apple App Store and Google Play. If you have a Triumph, you can enter your VIN for three free months. Again, any rider can use the SOS app, and it’ll run you $4.99 per month in the United States.
Smarter technologies revolutionized the motorcycle airbag in the last few years, and the SOS app feels like a similar leap forward for emergency alert systems like eCall. Riders in remote areas or regions with iffy service should prefer satellite-based options for now, but for most street riders with smartphones, the SOS app looks promising. SOS app coverage includes the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
