From Crash to Response: Making Telematics Data Work for Emergency Response

55 minutes

A critical discussion on how telematics data closes dangerous gaps in 911 workflows. Experts share scenarios where real-time vehicle data (impact speed, occupant status) saves lives in rural and complex crashes.

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Emergency response has relied on human-reported information for decades. But when accidents happen in remote areas or victims are incapacitated, that traditional system breaks down. The result is delayed response times that can mean the difference between life and death.

Amy Marion from RapidSOS shared a powerful example during a recent discussion. In the early 2000s, an 18-year-old driver missed a sharp curve on a rural road at night. His car crashed into a field and sat there for hours before someone spotted the headlights and called 911. By the time responders arrived, it was too late. The teenager died, leaving behind devastated parents and a sister who lost her only sibling.

“I can’t help but wonder how data and information could have potentially changed that outcome,” Marion said.

She noted that 42 percent of the 40,000 annual traffic fatalities involve victims who were alive when first responders arrived. The question becomes:
what if responders could arrive sooner?

Today’s vehicles generate massive amounts of data, but most of it never reaches 911 centers or field responders. That creates a dangerous information gap. When accidents occur, 911 operators depend entirely on witness accounts from people who may be traumatized, confused about locations, or providing inaccurate vehicle descriptions. Field responders then arrive on scene looking for a red sedan when they should be searching for a blue pickup truck.

Eric Troy, VP of eDispatch at RapidSOS and a deputy fire chief with over 30 years of emergency response experience, explained the cascading effects.

"We're responding to an accident and looking for a vehicle description, only to find that the color, make, and model we have our eyes open for is not at all what we actually find on scene," he said.

The solution lies in connecting vehicle telematics data directly to 911 centers. When a crash occurs, real-time information about location, impact speed, number of occupants, airbag deployment, and vehicle type can reach dispatchers instantly. This eliminates the guesswork and human error that plague current emergency workflows.

Michael Armitage, Executive Director of Calhoun County Consolidated Dispatch Authority in Michigan, described how this plays out operationally. His center recently received a basic cell phone notification about a vehicle accident with limited information. Then a second notification came through vehicle telematics, providing crucial details including that it was a rollover. Based on the conversation they could hear in the background, dispatchers determined the injuries were not critical and adjusted the response accordingly.

The benefits extend beyond faster response times. Over-response creates its own safety hazards as million-dollar fire trucks and ambulances race through traffic unnecessarily.

"Every time we put an emergency vehicle on the road, we're all at risk," Troy noted, referencing the expensive apparatus and liability concerns that come with lights-and-siren responses.

Connected vehicle data helps dispatchers send the right resources at the right urgency level. A fender-bender in a parking lot requires different response than a 70-mph head-on collision, but without speed and impact data, dispatchers often default to full emergency response for any reported accident.

The technology exists today to bridge this information gap. The question is whether the automotive industry and fleet operators will prioritize connecting their data to public safety systems. For that 18-year-old who died alone in a field, better information might have meant growing up to become a 41-year-old man with a family of his own.

To hear the full conversation, listen to the complete episode of The Safety Gap from RapidSOS.