6 : 1
You’re not alone
Six people want to cycle for every one who does. Traffic is what holds them back.
For everyone who’d cycle if it felt safer
The bike route Google Maps won’t show you.
Defensive Pedal is a free cycling app that plans your ride around fast traffic, tricky junctions and dooring zones, using 100+ risk factors on every street. On average it’s just 5% longer than the shortest route.
Free · iPhone & Android · 31 European countries
5.0 on Google Play · 3,984 installs on Android and iPhone · Works with the World Bank on cycling intelligence for cities
The problem
The route is what scares people off.
For every person who cycles, six more would, if the streets felt calmer. Default maps send you down the fastest roads. We send you down the calm ones.
4x slower
The gap nobody closed
Cyclist deaths in the EU fell 8% between 2014 and 2024. Deaths of drivers and passengers fell four times faster (ETSC PIN Flash 50, 2026).
10%
Where you ride matters
Cyclists are 10% of all people killed on EU roads: 1,926 in 2024 alone (ETSC PIN Flash 50, 2026).
Tested on 10,149 routes
The same destination.
The same destination.
Two very different rides.
We compared our routes with Google Maps’ cycling directions on 10,149 trips between random points in Romanian cities.
Ours came out lower-risk on 99 of every 100. On average, they’re
2.1x
safer
Measured as cumulative modelled risk along each route, using 100+ road-risk factors per segment. On average just 5% longer than the shortest route.
Checked against real crashes
We tested our risk scores against official crash records.
A risk score only matters if it matches what happens on real streets. So we checked ours against five countries’ national crash registers, and we publish what we got wrong, too.
3.98bn
Bike passages counted
Counted at 2,034 roadside sensors in the five countries, so each street’s injuries are weighed against how many people ride it.
5
National crash registers
Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Spain. None of this data was used to build the model.
2.19x
Serious injuries on High-risk streets
2.19 times as many serious injuries per ride on the streets we rate High risk as on the streets we rate Safer.
Treat the scores as a guide. Cycling is safe overall; the scores compare streets with each other and say nothing about any single trip. Crash data comes from independent national sources; the analysis is our own, published with open access (Rotariu, 2026, Zenodo). The methodology page lists every factor family and the full validation figures.
How it works
How does Defensive Pedal pick your route?
01
Tell us where you’re going
Every street on the map already has a risk rating (Safer, Typical or High risk) built from 100+ factors like traffic speed and volume, junctions and dooring zones.
02
Get the calmest route, and see why
We skip busy roads and tricky junctions, and tell you why the safer route is safer. On average it’s just 5% longer than the shortest one.
03
Ride with a heads-up
Potholes, hostile merges and risky junctions are flagged before you reach them, and you’ll get a warning when the weather means gearing up.
What makes us different
Every street is rated for risk before we pick your route.
Other apps treat cycling as slow driving and send you down the same roads. We score each street for cyclist risk and route around the worst of it.
Feature
Google Maps
Strava
Komoot
Defensive Pedal
Picks the lowest-risk route
×
×
×
✓
Risk rating on every street (100+ factors)
×
×
×
✓
Explains why a route is safer
×
×
×
✓
Live hazard alerts while riding
×
×
×
✓
Choose how cautious your route is
×
×
×
✓
Features
Routes that fit how you ride.
Cool Routing
Hot day? Get the shadiest, coolest route home. Part of Premium, along with e-bike routing, unlimited saved routes and offline navigation.
Customise your caution
Choose how far you’ll detour for a calmer street, from the safest route to a balance with speed. Change it any time.
Made for your bike
Tell the app once whether you ride an e-bike, avoid hills or want the direct route, and every route follows those settings.
Community hazard reports
Spotted a pothole, a sketchy intersection, or a glass-strewn lane? Tap to report. Other riders see it instantly.
Privacy by design
Analytics are opt-in and GDPR-compliant. Your trips are yours. We never sell personal data.
Every ride counts
After each ride, see the CO₂ you avoided and the minutes of life you gained, estimated with the WHO’s health model when your ride replaces a car trip.
From the people who ride with it
What riders in Romania tell us.
I was amazed I could actually feel safe while cycling in Bucharest.
I like that it focuses on finding safer bike routes and takes real road-risk factors into account, instead of simply sending you on the fastest path.
I like how it considers practical factors like traffic conditions, hazards and weather, and gives you a warning in case you need to gear up for the weather.
Programmes & collaborations
- World Bank
- EIT Jumpstarter
- Climaccelerator
- UrbanizeHub
Featured in
- Capital
- evz.ro
- StartupCafe
- GoodMarket
Built by cyclists. Refined by 2,400 riders since 2024.
Victor rides every day. Oana wanted to, but was too scared.
So we built the app we both needed. Victor Rotariu, a lifelong cyclist who shipped Romania’s largest chatbot, founded Defensive Pedal and coded its routing engine and both apps. Oana Leta, former U.K. Country Manager for iRobot with deep urban-policy experience, leads our partnerships and work with cities.
Between 2024 and June 2026, 2,400 cyclists shaped the safety model: they tested the algorithm at events, answered our surveys and sent feedback online.
2,400contributors, 2024 to 2026
3,984installs, Android and iOS, Oct 2026
2,000hands-on testers, our own records
10,149routes analysed
Questions
Questions we get asked most.
Is Defensive Pedal really free?
Yes. Safety routing is free with no limit on rides. Premium adds Cool Routing, e-bike routing, unlimited saved routes and offline navigation.
Will the safer route take much longer?
Not much. On average, our routes are just 5% longer than the shortest route. On a 4 km ride, that’s about 200 metres.
Do I need an account?
Yes. You create a free account when you first open the app.
Is it good for e-bikes and commuting?
Yes. It’s built for everyday city riding, commute included. E-bike routing is part of Premium.
Will it drain my phone battery?
Battery use is in line with other GPS navigation apps. For rides over a couple of hours a power bank or handlebar charger helps, as with any turn-by-turn app.
Does it work in my city?
Yes, if you are in Europe. Defensive Pedal is available in 31 countries: every EU country plus the UK, Switzerland, Norway and Iceland. Coverage is strongest in major European cities. How detailed the safety scores are depends on local OpenStreetMap data, which improves as riders report hazards.
Is there an iPhone version?
Yes. Defensive Pedal is on the App Store with the same routing as on Android. Thank you to everyone who joined the waitlist.
How accurate are the safety scores?
The model scores each street segment on 100+ risk factors drawn from European road-safety research, OpenStreetMap infrastructure data and hazards reported by riders. We checked the scores against the national crash registers of Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France and Spain. Streets we rate High risk see 2.19 times as many serious injuries per ride as streets we rate Safer.
What data does the app collect?
We collect what routing needs and nothing else. Analytics are opt-in and GDPR-compliant, and anything shared with cities is aggregated and anonymised. We never sell personal data.
How does your city compare?
Where does your city rank for safe cycling?
We ranked 117 European cities by cycling risk, street by street. Find yours, then send it to someone who’ll want to argue about it.
See the city ranking →
Ready for your safest ride yet?
Install free on Google Play or the App Store. Safety routing costs nothing and you don’t need a card.
Android & iOS · Free · 100+ safety factors · 2.1x safer routes
Know someone who says “I’d cycle, but…”?