Your Security in a Roadside Crash is Paramount. Right here’s What One Firm is Doing to Advocate for You
Within the blink of a watch, a cheerful day on the highway can flip into a few of our roughest moments. It might be so simple as a flat tire or as critical as a crash (we hope not!), however coping with these moments is difficult sufficient with out all the opposite motorists nonetheless zooming round you, going about their every day lives. Oftentimes, passing vehicles don’t even decelerate after they cross an accident.
These challenges can depart us stranded on the facet of the highway for hours, each minute in peril of being hit by oncoming site visitors.
Then take into consideration this: Greater than 19,000 individuals are killed or injured on this very scenario every year, which quantities to 1 particular person each 5 minutes. That signifies that as many as 8 folks might be hit on the roadside whilst you’re altering your tire.
Scary.
So, what can we do about it?
Associated: A Automotive Accident Can Change Your Life in a Flash
Emergency Security Options is right here to H.E.L.P
Born from Founder David Tucker’s private close to miss when an 18-wheeler virtually took him out on the facet of the freeway in 2014, ESS is making an attempt to guarantee that roadside crashes turn into a factor of the previous. Tucker assembled a talented crew of automotive and security veterans and, by way of cautious, deliberate, and factually-based research, they developed a ground-breaking resolution referred to as Hazard Enhanced Location Protocol, or H.E.L.P for brief. H.E.L.P. makes use of two applied sciences to supply a multi-pronged strategy to fight this prevalent challenge.
Step 1: H.E.L.P. Lighting Alerts
Outdated-school hazard lights had been invented over 70 years in the past and have barely been improved upon since. Typical hazards flash as soon as a second. In case of an accident or airbag deployment, H.E.L.P. improves upon this and flashes hazards as much as 5 instances a second in a scientifically-tuned hazard flash sample. Seeing this in motion on the ground on the Chicago Auto Present instantly grabs your consideration and screams warning.
Step 2: H.E.L.P. Digital Alerts
Accident alerts on our automobile navigation are usually submitted by different drivers reporting incidents on their Waze or Google Maps, for instance. H.E.L.P. supercharges and automates this by sending a right away alert to oncoming drivers by way of their in-vehicle shows and GPS navigation apps to offer them advance warning that they’re approaching a disabled automobile.
So, impulsively, you may be assured that your disabled automobile is extra seen to different motorists and that they’ve been warned about your peril already. Excited about it, it’s form of loopy this isn’t a factor already, isn’t it?
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H.E.L.P is on the Solution to a Automotive Close to You
ESS’s resolution is definitely already in motion in over 1.5 million Teslas on the highway in America, they usually’re planning to collaborate with Volkswagen, Stellantis, and a number of different automakers. They’re additionally engaged on aftermarket options to permit people to implement H.E.L.P. into their present automobile. They’re planning for this to be each an adjunct merchandise obtainable for buy out of your auto seller and up for grabs at an auto provide retailer. So, Emergency Security Options is addressing what must occur on the OEM facet of issues, however eliminating roadside crash incidents would require a collaborative effort.
In a passionate call-to-action on the Chicago Auto Present, ESS Chief Security Advocate Andrew Coetzee gathered with A Ladies Information to Vehicles Founder Scotty Reiss, in addition to Former Director of the Michigan Division of Transportation, Kirk Steudle, and Wiley Deck, VP of Authorities Affairs and Public Coverage at Plus. They took to the stage to share their private tales and the way we are able to work collectively to scale back the variety of roadside crashes, hopefully to zero. You may watch the total livestream right here.
Associated: Suggestions and Instruments for Teen Driver Security
A Flat Tire Is usually a Horrifying Time
Scotty shared a current second when she obtained a name from her two daughters stranded along side the highway with a flat tire. For many of us, this may occasionally not sound like a giant concern, however since Scotty knew the statistics, she knew how harmful this case truly was. Scotty’s story highlighted the necessity for us, as drivers, to turn into educated about what to do in these conditions, the way to shield ourselves whereas we’re coping with these challenges, how essential it’s to teach our kids on the way to maintain themselves protected on the facet of the highway too. She additionally inspired drivers to make use of all of the tech obtainable to them. There’s a lot helpful and superior know-how obtainable to us in our automobiles that may make us safer, and it’s as much as us to learn to use it and get snug with it.
The Quantity of Deaths from a Roadside Crash Equals a Airplane Crash a Day
Kirk vociferously shared about how all of us must work collectively to make this case safer. He actually hammered residence how simple it’s to be indifferent from statistics and the way private this case is. We, Individuals specifically, are in our vehicles each day. Somebody we love might be confronted with being stranded along side the highway, and I’m positive we’d all like to make sure that that scenario is as protected as attainable for our beloveds. These deaths quantity to “a aircraft crash a day,” Kirk stated, “We might by no means tolerate that from planes.” He acknowledged passionately. So why is that this acceptable from our vehicles?
Edwin was Altering his Tire When his Life was Modified As an alternative
It made me take into consideration my buddy, Edwin, who was altering his tire on the facet of the highway when he was struck by a drunk driver. He misplaced his leg above the knee that day and virtually his life. He had been ready along side the highway for roadside help for an hour earlier than he determined to take issues into his personal arms and alter the tire himself. Since we now know the grim statistics that 12 folks had been hit in that very same scenario simply in the course of the time that Edwin was ready along side the highway, it’s much more gut-wrenching that he was a kind of numbers.
After all, drunk driving elevates this severity greater than something, and Edwin bravely shared this warning: “Don’t drink and drive. You may finish somebody’s life or considerably alter somebody’s life. Together with your personal.” Nothing can change the hazard of drunk driving, however maybe H.E.L.P. Lightning Alerts may catch a distracted driver’s consideration extra. Maybe the Digital Alerts popup may break by way of to them. They’ll actually solely assist this dire scenario. Quickly, I’ll rejoice Edwin’s “Life Day” (aka the day he survived) with him, however many aren’t even so *fortunate* to *stroll* away with lacking limbs.
Roadside Crashes are a Lethal Downside Hiding in Plain Sight
Roadside crashes have been turning into increasingly prevalent, with the numbers growing 23% over 11 years. Utilizing H.E.L.P. has proven a 90% discount in collision danger and an 80% discount in exhausting braking close to roadside incidents. So, combining the strategic know-how of Emergency Security Options, our personal training, and the cooperation of highway businesses, regulation enforcement, and emergency response may assist make disabled automobile crashes a factor of the previous.
Be taught extra about ESS beneath: (Warning: This video exhibits footage from highway accidents. Supply: ESS)
