ooh new garmin radar with a camera now.

[fooferdoggie]

want one but man expensive.

Varia™ RCT715/716

Radar Camera Tail Light

www.garmin.com

 

[rayray]

I have the radar-only version. I like knowing cars are approaching from the rear, so I can hug the edge of the road. However, I also prefer to imagine they’re moving left to avoid me, rather than knowing I’m about to be hit. . Joking of course. Sort of.

These guys had a Varia radar, and still got hit. Maybe it would have turned out differently if theirs had a camera.

Brothers filmed before death by driver 'uncontrollably defecating'

Julie Ann Budge, 47, who blamed irritable bowel syndrome for causing her to fatally strike two brothers on bicycles, struggled with health issues and alcoholism before the crash

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[DaveMatthews]

Looks awesome!

 

[fooferdoggie]

my garmi saved my life I was in the left of the lane getting ready to turn left when truck with flags screaming pass the line of cars behind me and me at about 60mph on a 30mph double yellow line road. the radar warned me jsut as i was going to turn.

 

[WattsUpDude]

I love my Varia. I won't be purchasing this, though. I know that footage in case of an accident doesn't have to look pretty but I'm spoiled by the super steady footage from my Hero 9 and Osmo Action.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

There's a saying: "A triumph of technology over the common sense".
As I understand the Garmin Varia Radar can be useful... Don't you people think a rear view mirror is superior to the camera?

Do you use a radar on your cars to see if there are any cars behind you as you drive? Do you use a rear view camera to see whether there are any cars behind you as you drive?

I write this after a jerk driver first hit a fireman with his car then drove into a peloton of twelve, injuring eight and killing one in my greater neighbourhood. No Garmin Varia would have helped that...

 

[rayray]

There's a saying: "A triumph of technology over the common sense".
As I understand the Garmin Varia Radar can be useful... Don't you people think a rear view mirror is superior to the camera?

Do you use a radar on your cars to see if there are any cars behind you as you drive? Do you use a rear view camera to see whether there are any cars behind you as you drive?

With all due respect, I really don’t think safety on a bike can be compared to safety in a car. For me, it offers some peace of mind, as I can ride in a more relaxed state, knowing no cars are approaching from the rear without constantly checking. I wouldn’t give mine up.

 

[peterh_nz]

There's a saying: "A triumph of technology over the common sense".
As I understand the Garmin Varia Radar can be useful... Don't you people think a rear view mirror is superior to the camera?

Do you use a radar on your cars to see if there are any cars behind you as you drive? Do you use a rear view camera to see whether there are any cars behind you as you drive?

I write this after a jerk driver first hit a fireman with his car then drove into a peloton of twelve, injuring eight and killing one in my greater neighbourhood. No Garmin Varia would have helped that...

In my experience the Varia is a great backup to the mirror, especially on narrow country roads. I'm not always looking in the mirror and, with wind noise, don't always hear a vehicle approaching. However I'll always hear the Varia alert chimes.

With the combination, there's a better chance of taking avoidance action, if required.

A case of useful, appropriate technology.

Cheers

 

[Stefan Mikes]

To each their own guys.
I can hear an upcoming car.
And I inspect the rear-view mirror as often as I would have done it while driving my car.

 

[peterh_nz]

The Varia is also useful for detecting cyclists approaching from behind on a single track. In a specific situation recently I used it as thief alarm!

 

[peterh_nz]

With all due respect, I really don’t think safety on a bike can be compared to safety in a car. For me, it offers some peace of mind, as I can ride in a more relaxed state, knowing no cars are approaching from the rear without constantly checking. I wouldn’t give mine up.

Agreed vulnerability is far greater in a cycle - motor vehicle scenario than for motor vehicle - motor vehicle. So additional precautions are worth it.

 

[BlackHand]

Do you use a radar on your cars to see if there are any cars behind you as you drive?

That's a pretty good analogy. Yes, I do and I'll never buy another car that doesn't have Blind Spot Monitoring. Not exactly the same as what the Varia does but very similar and highly effective.

Not sure about the Varia + camera, though I guess my wife's lawyer would find it useful if I got run over.... Most of my closest calls have all come from the front or side so far.

Guide to Blind Spot Warning

Consumer Reports' guide to Blind Spot Warning (BSW), an important safety system that uses cameras, radar, and/or ultrasonic sensors alongside your vehicle to detect vehicles you can’t see that are in your blind spot.

www.consumerreports.org

In prior surveys, two-thirds of drivers who used BSW told us it helped to prevent a crash. Now a commonplace option on many affordable vehicles, some survey respondents told us they wouldn’t buy a vehicle without it. “It is a practical and useful feature that I now consider a critical requirement in any future auto purchase,” wrote the owner of a 2020 Subaru Forester.

 

[FatChance]

We live in Sedona. I cannot tell you how many times we watch people walking the local scenic trails while staring at the screen of their iPhone held out at arm's length in front of them, instead of looking at the real life view ahead of them with their own eyes. This observation may apply to this topic, or not.

 

[peterh_nz]

We live in Sedona. I cannot tell you how many times we watch people walking the local scenic trails while staring at the screen of their iPhone held out at arm's length in front of them, instead of looking at the real life view ahead of them with their own eyes. This observation may apply to this topic, or not.

Agreed if continually looking at a screen. The potentially distracting fancy graphics have never appealed. I never use the Varia that way. The screen is always in my pocket and I receive audio alerts through "open to the world" ear buds.

 

[Camac]

I'd be more interested if, when the device detected something approaching from the rear, it switched on a series of bright red flashing lights.

 

[peterh_nz]

I'd be more interested if, when the device detected something approaching from the rear, it switched on a series of bright red flashing lights.

I understand the red light on my Varia starts flashing or changes its flashing pattern when a vehicle approaches.

The red light is very bright.

 

[mschwett]

There's a saying: "A triumph of technology over the common sense".
As I understand the Garmin Varia Radar can be useful... Don't you people think a rear view mirror is superior to the camera?

Do you use a radar on your cars to see if there are any cars behind you as you drive? Do you use a rear view camera to see whether there are any cars behind you as you drive?

I write this after a jerk driver first hit a fireman with his car then drove into a peloton of twelve, injuring eight and killing one in my greater neighbourhood. No Garmin Varia would have helped that...

i won’t be getting this camera version, but the purpose of the camera is not preventative so much as it is to have documentation after the fact, so the offending motorists can be tracked down and fined, warned, cited, or arrested for their behavior. if every bike had a camera at all times, and drivers knew it, they’d drive more respectfully.

the beauty of the varia is that it alerts you to cars without having to look down. no mirror can do that. it also alerts you to cars you can’t clearly see. no mirror can do that. it also alerts the driver to your presence by changing it’s flashing pattern as the car approaches. i have excellent hearing but at high speeds, on rough roads, or very windy days it can be extremely difficult to hear a car from 100 meters away. the varia chime, easy to hear - and the color coded graphic on the screen can be understood without taking your focus on the road.

 

[mschwett]

I'd be more interested if, when the device detected something approaching from the rear, it switched on a series of bright red flashing lights.

it does exactly that. goes from solid red to quickly flashing red when a car approaches. excellent for getting a distracted motorists attention.

The radar detects approaching vehicles from a distance of up to 140m and increases in brightness and flashing intensity as they approach,

 

[DaveMatthews]

There's a saying: "A triumph of technology over the common sense".
As I understand the Garmin Varia Radar can be useful... Don't you people think a rear view mirror is superior to the camera?

Do you use a radar on your cars to see if there are any cars behind you as you drive? Do you use a rear view camera to see whether there are any cars behind you as you drive?

I write this after a jerk driver first hit a fireman with his car then drove into a peloton of twelve, injuring eight and killing one in my greater neighbourhood. No Garmin Varia would have helped that...

I get what you're layin' down, but I like the idea of having a permanent record of the disaster that may have either threatened/harmed/injured/killed me.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

killed

I would not care in that case myself.

That's a pretty good analogy. Yes, I do and I'll never buy another car that doesn't have Blind Spot Monitoring. Not exactly the same as what the Varia does but very similar and highly effective.

The main difference is the driver sits in an acoustically isolated "cage". When a car approaches your bike at the "blind spot distance", you would rather hear it... Unless your ears are busy with earbuds of course.

Please understand: I'm not against the Garmin Varia, which can be useful (especially on a road/gravel e-bike where installing the mirror is problematic). However, a big number of bike related accidents is caused by the lack of the attention of the rider. The Varia might also give the rider the false feeling of safety. And if a driver decides to "mow" you, no radar would help.