Originally Posted by
indyfabz
Glad you brought up expectations. Anyone tracking someone should be well counseled that a loss of contact doesn't necessarily mean something bad has happened.
Several years ago a family member of a young man riding across the country turned to this forum and ACA's forum in a panic because the guy hadn't checked in for a couple of days. He was, according to the family member, "missing." In reality, he was fine. IIRC, what happened was that he left his phone on, the battery died and it was a few days before he had the opportunity to charge it again.
Also...If all of a sudden you are tracked travelling at auto speed, it doesn't necessarily mean someone has abducted you. Maybe you broke down and are getting a ride, or you are getting a ride through a construction zone. While not everyone thinks the worst first, some people do.
Yeah, I remember that. The guy's family seemed to be overreacting to the point of absurdity. I kind of recall they had contacted law enforcement because they were convinced a crime had been committed, etc and really made the poor guy a center of embarrassing attention....all because of a dead battery. I guess that's to be expected in this age of instant information at the fingertips.
Call me a retrogrouch, but I'd prefer not to be tagged and tracked like an animal when I'm touring. But to each his own.