Personal safety app Flare has unveiled a raft of new safety features.
Flare, which featured in fourth spot on our recent TransportTech 50 ranking, is an app used by cyclists and other road users.
Working with the sensors in their smartphone phone, it can detect if there is a likelihood that a user has been involved in an incident. The app then begins a 30-second countdown: if there is no movement or response from the user, their exact location is sent to emergency contacts, using What3Words, so help can arrive quickly.
Flare 4.0, described as the biggest release to date, features improved detection powered by a new SIDE ML (Serious Incident Detection Engine Machine Learning) algorithm trained on over two years’ worth of accident data.
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It has also enhanced its SmartStart feature, which automatically turns Flare on in the background when users are active and out of their ‘safe zone’ – so they don’t have to launch the app each time they set out.
Another new feature is Hazards, which alerts users in real-time about anything that could affect their safety. Flare users can notify others about road accidents, physical attacks, near-misses and pot-holes.
SOS alerts to loved ones can also be activated via voice command or gestures, such as a double or triple tap on the back of the user’s phone.
The improved GroupSafe feature also allows groups to share their live location with one another in case someone becomes vulnerable – such as on nights out.
Flare has also connected with RoadRadar, which will be enabled on thousands of commercial vehicles such as HGVs across the UK from spring of this year. As RoadRadar’s first partner, should a Flare user be in the blind spot of a partnered HGV, the driver of the HGV will receive a notification so they know there is someone in dangerous proximity.