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Crashing is one of the few unpleasantries of motorcycling. There\u2019s only so much you can do to mitigate it, and ultimately, no amount of advanced training, high-tech rider aids, or plain old good luck can save you from all eventualities.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, as the viral social media clip goes, \u2018one minute you\u2019re on the road looking at the bushes, then the next minute you\u2019re in the bushes looking at the road\u2019. So, what happens when you\u2019ve really come a cropper and end up so badly injured that you can\u2019t call for help?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where RealRider comes in\u00a0\u2013 the British-developed smartphone app promises to speed up response times by automatically alerting the emergency services within seconds of an impact, calling in the blue-light cavalry without delay thanks to a clever algorithm that knows exactly when your ride has gone pear-shaped.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re the only app-system with direct links to the emergency services,\u201d RealRider\u2019s Chief Operating Officer, Steven Roberts, told MCN. \u201cThat was a two-year process of stringent interviews and testing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat really differentiates us is that we\u2019re not relying on friends, family, or anybody else. It\u2019s just a direct signal that goes straight onto the CAD [Computer Aided Dispatch] system of the ambulance service. The onus is taken off the rider, or anyone else for that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
The app constantly monitors your phone\u2019s accelerometer, gyroscope, and motion sensors to detect impacts or heavy deceleration \u2013\u00a0although speed is not recorded nor relayed to the police.<\/p>\n
If a crash is suspected, RealRider starts a countdown timer, giving the user a chance to cancel the alert if they\u2019re not injured.<\/p>\n
![\"RealRider](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/realrider.jpg\" "\\"RealRider")
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\u201cThe app looks for a number of triggers \u2013 rapid deceleration, impact, and tumbling motion,\u201d Roberts explained. \u201cIf the rider doesn\u2019t cancel the alert, all of their key information \u2013 location, direction of travel, and any medical data they\u2019ve uploaded \u2013 is sent directly to emergency responders within seconds of the event.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2006, the team at RealSafe Technologies (the company behind RealRider) collaborated with paramedics and air ambulance pilots to produce a Crash Scene Management video for the Great Roads, Great Rides motorcycle DVD, created for the UK Highways Agency (now Highways England).<\/p>\n
While filming, emergency responders explained the need for a solution that could quickly locate injured riders and alert ambulance control and in turn, this requirement led to the development of RealRider SOS.<\/p>\n
NHS integration<\/p>\n
Thanks to years of testing, which involved throwing phones out of moving cars, through cardboard walls, and conducting on-track crash testing, the system is so accurate that false activations are said to account for fewer than one percent of alerts.<\/p>\n
That reliability was crucial in gaining the 999 seal of approval.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe key thing emergency services wanted to focus on was false activations \u2013 they didn\u2019t want riders getting home, throwing their jacket down, and triggering an ambulance,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
The app\u2019s algorithms are refined to recognise real crashes and ignore false flags, with additional updates like an auto-pause feature to prevent the app from mistaking evasive manoeuvres for a fall.<\/p>\n
Full coverage<\/p>\n
Like any phone-based system, RealRider needs mobile signal to work, unlike a standalone satellite emergency beacon such as Garmin\u2019s inReach \u2013 although the SOS function on such devices usually requires manual activation.<\/p>\n
To help reduce coverage blackspots, the company have recently partnered with Anywhere eSIM, which uses multi-carrier roaming to send the signal through whichever network is available \u2013 similar to how the 999 system works.<\/p>\n
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RealRider\u2019s network covers the UK, Europe, the US, Canada, and Japan, and the system is already being adopted by major players including powering Triumph\u2019s SOS.<\/p>\n
One year\u2019s subscription to RealRider will cost \u00a360 from 2026 , which is a rise of \u00a324 from 2025\u2019s pricing. That might sound like a steep increase, but membership still works out at less than a cup of coffee per week.<\/p>\n
Speed saves lives<\/p>\n