Hiking, backpacking, driving, and motorcycling produced the most SOS incidents.
This article was originally published on GearJunkie.
Garmin’s inReach satellite messengers are ubiquitous, must-have pieces of kit. The little lifesavers are so prevalent in the outdoor community that the company just fielded its 10,000th inReach SOS call.
To mark the occasion, Garmin released a slew of interesting data drawn from the incidents, records of which date back to 2011.
A Garmin inReach SOS incident map. Simmer down, New Zealand. Photo: Garmin
Digging into the data provides a fascinating portrait of who is triggering rescues and why. SOS incidents occurred all over the globe, in 150 countries, and on all seven continents.
Garmin SOS data
Perhaps unsurprisingly, hikers and backpackers initiated the largest percentage of all SOS calls Garmin received, at an overwhelming 39%.
Mountainous regions were particularly likely to trigger SOS incidents. Garmin singled out the Pacific Crest Trail, the European Alps and, in an amusingly worded little tidbit, “nearly all of New Zealand”.
In a shock, driving was the second-most-likely SOS-triggering activity, at 12%.
Hiking/backpacking accounted for the bulk of inReach SOS incidents. Photo: Garmin
“SOS needs don’t only occur in high-risk situations. Many driving SOS incidents involve people simply needing help while on the road and outside of cellphone service,” noted Garmin in its analysis.
Injuries such as broken bones or blunt force trauma accounted for nearly 30% of all SOS incidents. Medical issues such as heart problems and altitude sickness caused an additional 17% of calls.
Injuries accounted for most of the inReach SOS incidents. Photo: Garmin
Who triggers most SOS incidents?
Interestingly, most inReach users don’t trigger SOS incidents for themselves. According to Garmin, nearly two-thirds of incidents are “for the subscriber’s party member or an unknown third party individual.”
In fact, good Samaritans account for nearly one-fifth of all inReach SOS calls.
Many inReach SOS incidents were triggered by third parties on behalf of non-Garmin users. Photo: Garmin
A banner year for Garmin
The 10,000 SOS incidents milestone comes on the heels of a banner year for Garmin. The company’s Garmin inReach Mini 2 garnered positive feedback by significantly increasing battery life over the original model.
And in September, Garmin released the Garmin Messenger satellite communicator and companion app in a bid to streamline two-way messaging within the Garmin ecosystem.
