Ford creates an accident alert system to help victims reach care sooner

Technology from Ford will alert drivers to the presence of an accident so that they can make way for emergency services as they approach the area.

The consequences of blocking the progress of emergency vehicles and delaying their arrival at the scene of an accident could be fatal. Indeed, experts believe that survival rates for road accident victims can improve by as much as 40 percent if they receive treatment just four minutes sooner. For this reason, Ford is testing connected vehicle technology that could alert drivers to a recent accident moments after it has occurred. In addition, the system can provide early warning that emergency vehicles are approaching, and which side of the road they should move to in order to avoid becoming an obstacle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPaWMcVpktU

A system that has been tested by the KoMod project

The system is designed to create an “emergency corridor” along which firefighters, ambulances and police vehicles can reach their destination more quickly. This technology is being tested as part of the KoMod (Kooperative Mobilität im digitalen Testfeld Düsseldorf) initiative, a project with a budget of 15 million euros that carries out trials of new connected vehicle and automated driving technologies.

With the aim of anticipating a future in which all vehicles communicate with each other via mobile phone networks and built-in modems, Ford and Vodafone are also exploring how “eCall Plus” could also inform other drivers that an accident is about to happen, at a distance of up to 500 metres. Emergency vehicle services would also issue the warning, using the car displays to show the correct layout of the “emergency corridor”.

How is the emergency corridor created?

On two-lane roads, “emergency corridors” are formed between the two lanes by drivers who pull over on either side. If there are more than two lanes, it depends on whether the road is driven on the left or the right.