How hi-tech Range Rover reported its own crash to the police
A CAR has reported its own crash directly to police in what may be the first use of new technology in Scotland.
Police shared a dramatic picture of an overturned Range Rover in the middle of the road.
Luckily there were no injuries, but the incident highlighted the selfreporting technology that must now be fitted to new cars.
The Range Rover detected that it had been involved in a serious incident through onboard sensors and automatically sent information about its location to the emergency services.
The European Union ruled that all new cars from March 31 this year should be fitted with the technology, called eCall.
In what is believed to be a first for Scotland, the technology reported the crash on the A714 in Wigtownshire. Dumfries and Galloway Police Division shared a picture of the accident on Facebook. The caption read: ‘No injuries reported in this crash, but some clever, potentially life-saving tech at work.’
A spokesman for Police Scotland said they believed it was the first time a car had reported its own accident north of the Border.
He added: ‘If that had been someone on their own and they had flipped the car then this technology is really valuable, especially in rural areas where someone could go off the road and might not be seen, or found, for a period of time.
‘It is life-saving technology and we’re very happy it has been introduced. It can really help us to get to emergencies quicker.’
Police said the incident happened at about 3.30pm on Thursday when two vehicles collided near Clachaneasy Cottage, Newton Stewart, Wigtownshire.
They said the Range Rover was being driven by a 55-year-old man from Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. A Ford Fiesta involved in the accident was being driven by a 64-year-old woman from Swalwell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear. Police said neither driver was injured.
As well as reporting the crash, the technology allows emergency services to identify the exact location of the vehicle, the time and the direction it was travelling in.
Olga Sehnalova, a Czech MEP who championed the legislation, said she hoped it would reduce response time by half in rural areas and by 40 per cent in towns and cities.
The technology might have helped in the tragic of John Yuill and Lamara Bell.
In July 2015, their Renault Clio was found just off the M9, near Stirling, three days after an accident. Mr Yuill, 28, died in the crash while his 25year-old partner, who lay injured beside him, died later in hospital.
‘Life-saving technology’