Cop in Tasmania denies that Apple’s Crash Detection helped police arrive quickly at accident site

A Ford Ranger towing a horse-drawn raft crashed into a tree stump on the island state of Tasmania, Australia, triggering the iPhone 14’s crash tracking feature that allows police to reach the crash site within eight minutes. Thanks to the quick arrival of the police, the five occupants of the vehicle, who were aged between 14 and 20, were all transported to Launceston General Hospital. One of the injured has already been released.

As reported by Australian ABC, unfortunately two of the four horses being transported died in the accident while the other two were euthanized at the scene. The police blame the accident on the driver’s fatigue. The accident happened on Monday morning at 01:45.

Crash Detection is available on the iPhone 14 line, Apple Watch 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd-gen) and Apple Watch Ultra

The Apple Crash Detection feature is available on the iPhone 14 series (with the latest version of iOS) and the Apple Watch Series 8, the Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) and the Apple Watch Ultra (with the latest version of watchOS) . Crash Detection uses sensors and algorithms to detect when a sedan, minivan, SUV, van or any other passenger car you’re driving has been in an accident.

Apple Crash Detection may have helped victims in an early morning accident get quick medical attention

When an accident is detected, the iPhone and Apple Watch will play an alarm and show a message on the screen. If you only have the phone, a slider will appear on the screen allowing you to quickly call emergency services. If you have both the iPhone and Apple Watch, the slider appears only on the watch and if you call the emergency services, the sound goes through the Apple Watch.

When the accident occurs, you have 20 seconds to decide whether to dismiss the warning or call emergency services. If you don’t (or can’t) answer within 20 seconds, the call is made automatically and a message is sent to any emergency contacts you may have added to your device. This message will include your current location and will inform the recipient that you have been in a serious car accident.

If you have set up your Medical ID, a separate slider will appear on the screen to allow paramedics and emergency personnel access to your medical history. To set up your Medical ID, check out the Apple Support page by tapping this link.

The Tasmania Police Inspector General takes credit for the quick response of the police

While all four horses pulled by the Ford Ranger were killed, the four passengers and the driver of the truck survived. You might think that Apple’s Crash Detection feature was the hero here, helping the police get to the scene of the accident quickly so that the injured could receive medical attention quickly enough to save their lives. But Tasmania Police Inspector Ruth Orr said police arrived within minutes because they were “in the area on an unrelated matter.”

Still, Inspector Orr gave Crash Detection some credit when she had to admit that “…in a case where people have lost consciousness in an accident like this, it’s definitely something that alerts the police quickly.”

The Crash Detection feature has a habit of reporting fast movements unrelated to collision

One of the disadvantages of the Apple Crash Detection feature is that it can be offset by fast movements unrelated to a car accident. For example, skiers hitting the slopes with an iPhone 14 series model in their pocket, or wearing one of three Apple Watch models that support Crash Detection, have been known to set off the alarm. So if you come off a pretty rough rollercoaster ride, don’t be surprised if you’re greeted by an abundance of paramedics and policemen who may not be happy to have been alerted to a ghost accident. Still, Crash Detection is one of those features you might not think about until you need it. And then you’ll be really glad it’s there. And you Pixel users out there with a Pixel 3 or later, you have a similar feature, although it needs to be enabled on some models. To do this, go to Safety app > Settings > Car crash detection. Under “Detection and Alerts,” tap “Allow while program in use.” When prompted to share your microphone and physical activity, tap “Allow.”