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Automatic Collision Notification Can Save Thousands of Lives

3 February 2000

Automatic Collision Notification Can Save Thousands of Lives; Research Shows Motorists Want It More Than Side Airbags

    DALLAS, Feb-- Automatic collision notification (ACN) can
save thousands of lives annually by linking technology with 9-1-1 and EMS,
according to K. Sue Hoyt of the ComCARE Alliance, a multi-industry group
facilitating the study and development of the new safety feature.  A recent
Dohring Company study showed motorists value ACN more than side airbags.
    Cars with ACN have collision sensors connected to in-vehicle telematics
systems that automatically send a wireless alert signal and accident location
information to response centers like those operated by ATX Technologies Inc.
(ATX).  Response centers relay this information to emergency authorities,
enabling them to respond to accidents more quickly than with traditional
methods.  The signal is sent even if motorists are incapacitated, ensuring
response will come.
    "The key is speed," said ATX president Steve Millstein.  "For example, in
rural areas where searches can be difficult, experts predict ACN can reduce
the current nine minutes that elapses before authorities even know about an
accident to one minute, saving up to 2,000 lives annually.  All motorists
could benefit from the safety and peace of mind ACN offers."
    Millstein shares the view of many experts that ACN could become standard
safety equipment on all cars.  Most carmakers with telematics programs offer
some form of ACN as an option.  Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac have made ACN
standard across entire model lines.  Find more information at the ATX
knowledge center, http://www.atxtechnolgies.com.
    ACN resolves important problems faced by the emergency response community,
including wireless 9-1-1.  Operators receive nearly 100,000 wireless
9-1-1 calls each day, yet almost none of those calls has location information
attached as is the case with landline 9-1-1 calls.  Time is wasted getting
that information, and 25 percent of the time callers do not know where they
are anyway.
    With ACN, motorists need not worry about finding their phones after a
collision or wonder if they will be able to use them.  Future ACN systems may
include sensors to collect accident information that could be used to predict
severity, to help authorities decide what kind of care to send to the scene.