Uber Will Turn Your Smartphone Into An Automatic Crash Detector (theverge.com)

Uber is introducing a new safety feature called "Ride Check" that will use GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, and other sensors inside a smartphone to detect whether there has been a vehicle crash. The Verge reports: In the event of a crash, the Uber app will automatically send a notification to a rider's phone to answer a series of questions. If they verify that there has been an accident, the rider will be prompted to call 911. Uber's team of safety operators may also reach out to ensure the rider is safe when the feature is triggered. The feature doesn't require any new permissions because it is linked to the driver's smartphone, rather than the riders. Drivers have the Uber app on more frequently than riders, who typically keep the app on in the background during trips.

Ride Check isn't just for crashes, though. The feature is also triggered if the vehicle stops for a prolonged or unusual period of time. Riders will receive a notification asking them if everything is alright, and based on their response, the app will present a series of options, including a call to 911. The ride-hail company also released a number of other features, including voice commands and an insurance hub for Uber drivers, new ways to mask addresses and phone numbers between riders and drivers, and two-factor authentication to protect a rider's account from malicious hacking.

Comments

Modern Annoyances

[Anonymous Coward]

So when you're attempting to dial 911 in a dazed state, you'll be interrupted with an accept phone call prompt instead. An AI will ask you some questions, then you'll be put on hold, then someone else will ask you a bunch of questions, then you'll be told to dial 911 and they hang up. Confused since you thought you had dialed 911, you pass out and die before anyone notifies emergency services.

Are people really that dumb that they need someone else to tell them to dial 911? Uber doesn't do it for you, they just tell you to do it. Nice way to skip out on some of the liability of making false emergency calls and a nice way to get sued for not recommending 911 when someone was injured.

wait what?

[roc97007]

That (using a smartphone for crash detection) has been around for years. I personally use "cradar", an app that texts my coordinates to my daughter's phone if I dump my bike. I have 30 seconds after it's gone off to prevent it from sending the text if the crash isn't bad or I've just dropped my phone.

Why daughter's phone? Because she actually pays attention to her phone. If I sent it to my wife's phone, I could be leaking on the side of the road for hours before she notices.