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it's reasonably safe to take the bolt out
Yes, once the steerer clamp bolts on the stem are tight, there's not going to be any problem until you start riding the bike.
People have got away with riding with no preload screw, although the safety conscious ones at least put a bung in the top of the steerer. In a non-failure situation, riding with no preload screw can result in loss of preload, i.e. loose headset syndrome. This is rarely fatal to rider or bike if caught quickly. In the case of a failure of the steerer clamp, either loosening or bolt breakage, having the preload screw and cap in place will make the resulting crash less serious, and having the preload screw post-tightened to a normal torque for its size may retain enough friction coupling between stem and steerer due to the axial load from the screw tension to turn the event from a crash into a wobbly halt at the road side.
Ok, so it's reasonably safe to take the bolt out, add a Garmin holder on and then put the bolt back. It's my daughter's bike so I feel I should check here rather than just doing it.