Re: Exactly what problem does this solve?
> With just about every single motorist carrying a phone and most crashes visible to other drivers, why the urgency to add automatic calling?
In case it's a genuine rather than smartarse type of question: from an emergency services point of view, for many accidents, the most difficult part is to find out where the accident happened, as well as get enough reliable information to respond quickly and efficiently.
This system tells you: a) that something just happened, b) where, c) in which direction you were travelling (important on motorways), d) how many seatbelts were attached (so you have an idea how many victims there might be involved and can respond appropriately), e) some other stuff I forget--type of vehicle maybe?
If it works as advertised (and sadly, that's a big if) it will make responding to accidents so much faster and efficient, and if nothing else it'll reduce the frustration we get when we're driving sirens on up and down the road trying to figure out where the fuck the prang was.
> I struggle with the cost/benefit analysis here
If you ever find yourself inside a burning metal wreck, please tell your surviving family to come and lecture us on cost/benefit analysis.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
