Author:
ROBIN ROBERTS
A more rapid and precise response to accidents is being praised by AA president Edmund King.
He says that the Ford Emergency Assistance feature could save lives. The SYNC Emergency Assistance technology potentially can reduce the time taken to respond to accidents by assisting vehicle occupants to place a direct emergency 112 call with location details in the correct local language.
Edmund King said: “We believe that Ford’s pioneering Emergency Assistance technology can help save lives. The AA would like to see ‘e-call’ as a safety feature on all new cars as it helps notify the emergency services in that vital ‘golden hour’ after a serious crash when rapid medical attention can be the difference between life and death.”
The Emergency Assistance technology is a feature of the Ford SYNC voice-activated in-car connectivity system that will make its European debut this summer in the all-new B-MAX and roll out quickly to other Ford vehicles.
When an accident occurs, the system alerts local emergency services operators in the correct local language based on GPS coordinates from the vehicle.
The vehicle’s SYNC system initiates an emergency call through the occupant’s Bluetooth-connected mobile phone. The system plays an introductory message and then relays the accident location co-ordinates using the on-board GPS unit, map and mobile network information. Emergency Assist saves crucial seconds by placing a call directly to emergency service operators rather than first routing through a third party call centre.
In North America, where Ford has sold 4 million SYNC-equipped vehicles, the similar 911 Assist system has drawn praise from emergency workers and customers.
Such systems are increasingly likely to feature in models and you can keep up to date with progress in our business car news section but until then look at our company car driving advice to keep you out of trouble.
