The proliferation of cycling tracking apps such as Strava can lead to risk taking amongst users.
Strava is one of the many start-ups that's made a business of helping people collect more data about their athletic activity. The company has a smartphone app the active set can use to track their runs and bike rides, using GPS to map the route. Of course the technology has a social component. Strava users can 'compete' with other users by comparing their times on particular routes and get publicly recognized for high scores, arcade-game style. But in an arcade game, losing a life is no big deal.
Strava 'player' William "Kim" Flint got so competitive that when he lost his first place rank as "King of the Mountain" for a steep route in Berkeley, California, he raced down the road on his bike at 40 mph to try to reclaim his title. The 41-year-old electrical engineer had to brake suddenly; he flipped over a car and died on the 2010 ride, reports ABC News. Now his family is suing Strava for negligence, alleging that the company is responsible for Flint's death.
Susan Kang, the lawyer for the family, says Flint was "obsessed" with his scores, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. And he may not be the only one. A San Francisco cyclist who killed a 71-year-old pedestrian earlier this year after allegedly running a red light is also a Strava user, says the Flints' lawyer, though it's unclear if he was racing on the app at the time of the biking fatality. Kang tells ABC News that Strava "creates a wild, wild West culture where [law-breaking] is encouraged and rewarded with no warnings about the risks."
Who knew self-tracking could be so dangerous?
Sure, Strava by introducing comparative data into people's rides may be making them more competitive and causing them to take more risks than they already do. But does that really mean the company's to blame for a user's death? I, for one, doubt this lawsuit has wheels.
The family, though, claims that Strava is at fault because there were no warnings on "courses" -- courses that are set and determined by users -- that some may be dangerous. (Are we really all so data driven now that we can't actually look at a really steep hill and recognize it as terrifying on a bike?) The start-up has since changed that practice, and now allows users to flag certain routes as hazardous. The Berkeley road Flint crashed on has since been flagged and Strava no longer allows users to compete on the segment. (One user recently complained about that, writing, "This descent is EPIC! Why isn't there a leader board anymore!!??")
Strava, which has attracted over $15 million in funding, doesn't want to spend that money on legal settlements.
"The death of Kim Flint was a tragic accident, and we expressed our sincere condolences when it occurred in 2010," says Strava spokesperson Mark Riedy. "Based on the facts involved in the accident and the law, there is no merit to this lawsuit. We again express our condolences to the Flint family, but we will defend the company vigorously through the legal process ahead."
Other Stravarians, be careful! There are no extra lives in this game.
Strava is one of the many start-ups that's made a business of helping people collect more data about their athletic activity. The company has a smartphone app the active set can use to track their runs and bike rides, using GPS to map the route. Of course the technology has a social component. Strava users can 'compete' with other users by comparing their times on particular routes and get publicly recognized for high scores, arcade-game style. But in an arcade game, losing a life is no big deal.
Strava 'player' William "Kim" Flint got so competitive that when he lost his first place rank as "King of the Mountain" for a steep route in Berkeley, California, he raced down the road on his bike at 40 mph to try to reclaim his title. The 41-year-old electrical engineer had to brake suddenly; he flipped over a car and died on the 2010 ride, reports ABC News. Now his family is suing Strava for negligence, alleging that the company is responsible for Flint's death.
Susan Kang, the lawyer for the family, says Flint was "obsessed" with his scores, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. And he may not be the only one. A San Francisco cyclist who killed a 71-year-old pedestrian earlier this year after allegedly running a red light is also a Strava user, says the Flints' lawyer, though it's unclear if he was racing on the app at the time of the biking fatality. Kang tells ABC News that Strava "creates a wild, wild West culture where [law-breaking] is encouraged and rewarded with no warnings about the risks."
Who knew self-tracking could be so dangerous?
Sure, Strava by introducing comparative data into people's rides may be making them more competitive and causing them to take more risks than they already do. But does that really mean the company's to blame for a user's death? I, for one, doubt this lawsuit has wheels.
The family, though, claims that Strava is at fault because there were no warnings on "courses" -- courses that are set and determined by users -- that some may be dangerous. (Are we really all so data driven now that we can't actually look at a really steep hill and recognize it as terrifying on a bike?) The start-up has since changed that practice, and now allows users to flag certain routes as hazardous. The Berkeley road Flint crashed on has since been flagged and Strava no longer allows users to compete on the segment. (One user recently complained about that, writing, "This descent is EPIC! Why isn't there a leader board anymore!!??")
Strava, which has attracted over $15 million in funding, doesn't want to spend that money on legal settlements.
"The death of Kim Flint was a tragic accident, and we expressed our sincere condolences when it occurred in 2010," says Strava spokesperson Mark Riedy. "Based on the facts involved in the accident and the law, there is no merit to this lawsuit. We again express our condolences to the Flint family, but we will defend the company vigorously through the legal process ahead."
Other Stravarians, be careful! There are no extra lives in this game.
