Sharing the road: GM’s Side Bicyclist Alert system helps keep riders safe
2024-10-17
More Americans are trading in four wheels for two, relying on bicycles for everything from school and grocery runs to weekend trips to the park. With cycling on the rise, streets in both cities and suburbia are becoming a shared space – highlighting the need for new technology to help keep all road users safe.
General Motors’ Side Bicyclist Alert is a technology designed to help make drivers aware of cyclists detected in a vehicle’s side blind zone, or those rapidly approaching the side blind zone during a lane-change maneuver. The system illuminates an amber icon in the vehicle’s left- or right-side mirror if a moving cyclist is detected on that side in the blind zone, or if one is rapidly approaching. If the driver has their turn signal on while a cyclist is detected in the blind zone, the icon will begin flashing and the system will produce a warning chime, or if equipped, pulse the vehicle’s Safety Alert Seat.
Side Bicyclist Alert can also help prevent drivers from hitting cyclists with their door as they exit their vehicle, which cyclists call “dooring.” The system will remain active for a few minutes after the driver shifts into Park or turns the vehicle off, using a combination of side-mirror alerts and chimes to warn the driver if a cyclist is approaching their blind zone.
In addition to Side Bicyclist Alert, certain GM vehicles are also available with Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking. This tech, which works at speeds between 5 and 50 mph, can help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist that is detected directly in front of them. When the feature detects a pedestrian or bicyclist, the driver will see an amber pedestrian icon in the Driver Information Center (DIC) or Head-Up Display. If the system detects they are just seconds away from a potential collision with a pedestrian or bicyclist, the system provides a flashing red windshield alert. Additionally, eight high-pitched front beeps or five both-side Safety Alert Seat pulses will occur (if equipped; depending on the selected Alert Type in the vehicle’s Settings menu). Finally, if the brakes are not applied, the system may automatically apply hard emergency braking. Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking can also enhance the driver’s own hard braking.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in crashes that occur on U.S. roads each year. While technologies like GM’s Side Bicyclist Alert and Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking can help improve road safety for cyclists, experts agree a variety of measures should be taken to help protect these more vulnerable road users – including installing separated biking lanes in areas with high concentrations of two-wheeled commuters.
Side Bicyclist Alert, as well as Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking, come standard on a variety of 2025 model year and newer GM vehicles, including the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox and Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Traverse, Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado EV.
More Americans are trading in four wheels for two, relying on bicycles for everything from school and grocery runs to weekend trips to the park. With cycling on the rise, streets in both cities and suburbia are becoming a shared space – highlighting the need for new technology to help keep all road users safe.
General Motors’ Side Bicyclist Alert is a technology designed to help make drivers aware of cyclists detected in a vehicle’s side blind zone, or those rapidly approaching the side blind zone during a lane-change maneuver. The system illuminates an amber icon in the vehicle’s left- or right-side mirror if a moving cyclist is detected on that side in the blind zone, or if one is rapidly approaching. If the driver has their turn signal on while a cyclist is detected in the blind zone, the icon will begin flashing and the system will produce a warning chime, or if equipped, pulse the vehicle’s Safety Alert Seat.
Side Bicyclist Alert can also help prevent drivers from hitting cyclists with their door as they exit their vehicle, which cyclists call “dooring.” The system will remain active for a few minutes after the driver shifts into Park or turns the vehicle off, using a combination of side-mirror alerts and chimes to warn the driver if a cyclist is approaching their blind zone.
In addition to Side Bicyclist Alert, certain GM vehicles are also available with Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking. This tech, which works at speeds between 5 and 50 mph, can help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist that is detected directly in front of them. When the feature detects a pedestrian or bicyclist, the driver will see an amber pedestrian icon in the Driver Information Center (DIC) or Head-Up Display. If the system detects a potential collision with a pedestrian or bicyclist, the system provides a flashing red windshield alert. Additionally, eight high-pitched front beeps or five both-side Safety Alert Seat pulses will occur (if equipped; depending on the selected Alert Type in the vehicle’s Settings menu). Finally, if the brakes are not applied, the system may automatically apply hard emergency braking. Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking can also enhance the driver’s own hard braking.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 1,000 bicyclists die and over 130,000 are injured in crashes that occur on U.S. roads each year. While technologies like GM’s Side Bicyclist Alert and Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking can help improve road safety for cyclists, experts agree a variety of measures should be taken to help protect these more vulnerable road users – including installing separated biking lanes in areas with high concentrations of two-wheeled commuters.
Side Bicyclist Alert, as well as Front Pedestrian and Bicyclist Braking, come standard on a variety of 2025 model year and newer GM vehicles, including the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox and Equinox EV, Blazer EV, Traverse, Tahoe, Suburban and Silverado EV.
