They do say that accidents happen. They certainly do where cars are concerned. No matter how much fancy ADAS equipment is installed into cars to help stay centred in our lane, to limit our speed, to warn us of impending danger up ahead, good old-fashioned human error and bad luck still win out on occasion and traffic collisions occur.

In today’s blog, we’re looking at another of the Pedal® app’s unique features --- Emergency Services. This is a feature designed to enhance you and your passengers’ safety after being involved in a collision.

Pedal Feature – Emergency Services

How Does the “Emergency Services” Feature Work?

The Emergency Services feature on Pedal is a simple and elegant addition, much like the app itself. In the event that your vehicle becomes involved in an accident, Pedal® will immediately be notified and can help dispatch emergency services to your location. While those services are being notified and deployed, all you need do is focus on you and your passenger’ safety.

Pedal tracks your vehicle’s exact location in real time, which of course is the main information needed to help summon emergency services quickly. It is this same great location feature that will help you summon recovery for your vehicle when you need it. Another quick and easy feature that takes at least some of the pain out of dealing with these difficult situations.

Why is the Pedal “Emergency Services” a Useful Feature?

After a serious collision, it might be hard for you to either reach or operate your smartphone to alert emergency services yourself. If you are unconscious, for instance, then you have no way to summon help. If you need to attend to an injured passenger, then that should be your priority.

Furthermore, if your smartphone was damaged in the collision and is now inoperable, an alternative and automated channel like Pedal is ideal. There are many times where reaching for a smartphone would mean moving in a way that is potentially hazardous if you are injured. When you’ve possibly hurt your neck, back or other highly sensitive parts of your body, remaining stationary and patient while emergency services come to you is the best thing you can do.

If you find you are luckily without any serious injury and can move, then your first priority always is to check on the well-being of your passengers and then help get them all out of the vehicle to a safe location. Remaining in the vehicle even a moment too long can be deadly depending on how serious the accident was. In particular, a risk of fire is the most urgent reason to get everyone out of the car and to safety.

Road Accidents in the UK

Fatal road accidents remain unfortunately common in the UK, as do non-fatal accidents. In 2019 (most recent data available), the Department of Transport confirmed that there were 1,752 reported road deaths. This unfortunately represents part of a period of stagnation in traffic accident frequency since 2012 after numbers has been falling from 2006 to 2010.

Beyond the fatal crashes, there were 25,945 serious injuries in road traffic accidents, which were part of 153,158 injuries of all severity. With so many accidents and injuries being caused, alerting the emergency services at the right moment is crucial. Pedal® ensures that regardless of your own state when the crash happens, the proper services are alerted in a timely fashion.

What to Do in a Traffic Collision

While you can rest assured that Pedal will help you to alert the emergency services for you, there are other things for you to remember to do in the event of a collision.

Minor Collision

Low-speed collisions most of the time just feel a nuisance but you can’t know for sure what help you’ll need until the shock of the incident subsides. While Pedal records the incident and alerts the police, you can focus on what you need to do, namely:

• Check yourself and then your passengers in the car that they are without injury.
• Turn off and exit the vehicle, make contact with the other driver and ensure they too are without any injury.
• Assuming in a minor collision that everyone is physically alright, you should exchange insurance information with the other driver.
• Take photos of the scene just as a point of record, especially of any damage to the vehicles.
• Remain calm and don’t get into the finger-pointing or blame game with the other driver. Any dispute can be solved later. Safety is the most important primary concern.

Serious Collision

Even serious-looking accidents can leave you relatively unscathed. Cars nowadays are well constructed to withstand the worst that accidents have to offer. On the other hand, you can be left in a bad state after a collision. Here are the things you need to do:

• Assess your own injuries (if any). If you can move without pain and can free yourself from your seatbelt and make egress from the car, then you should do so at the first opportunity.
• Check on passengers. You must look to your passengers to see if any are injured and do everything you can to get them out of the car and moved to a safe location a good distance from the crash site.
• The next would be to alert the emergency services, but Pedal® already has you covered on that score.
• Keep everybody calm, warm and at a safe distance from the car in case of petrol leaks, fires and other hazards that can emerge from a more serious collision.
• Wait for the emergency services to arrive and allow them to do their jobs, which involves taking care of you anyone else involved in the incident.

You should always remain at the scene of a car accident, regardless of how unscathed you or your vehicle are. If you were present at the incident, you will be needed as a witness. To leave the scene in many cases would actually be a criminal offence.

Pedal “Emergency Services” Feature – Helping to Keep You and Your Passengers Safe

In the panic and shock that can take hold after an accident, drivers and passengers on all sides lose valuable time when they should be summoning emergency services. This is where the value of the Pedal Emergency Services feature lies. By immediately recording the event and alerting emergency services, you never have to lose a second of precious time, no matter how you are after the accident.

Become part of the driving revolution by joining Pedal to take advantage of its many features. “Emergency Services” is just one of 20 unique features that are designed to make your driving life easier, protect the value of your car, and help you stay within the confines of the law by never missing a service, MOT or other maintenance appointment.

All you need is the Pedal Connect sensor, which plugs easily into your car’s OBD-II outlet, and an account on pedalapp.com From then, all your information is synced to your dashboard. It couldn’t be easier. Learn more about how you drive and your car’s real health by joining Pedal today.