How Your Smartphone Can Help You in a Car Accident

Sacramento has spent a great deal of money educating the public on the hazards of driving and texting or talking on a cell phone. We are all well aware of the dangers it can pose.  As a response, California has been a hands-free state for several years. 

There some advantages to having a SmartPhone handy when involved in a car accident. The most obvious benefit being that an accident victim can call for help. SmartPhones have an embedded GPS system that can help first responders find victims in an accident even if the victim doesn’t know where they are.

Another interesting way cell phones can help during an accident is less immediate. When accident data is collected and stored it can be used to determine dangerous areas. Police and emergency responders are informed that particular local areas are prone to accidents and be ready to act. The difference in seconds can save lives.

There are also a number of cell phone apps that can make an accident easier to deal with. Many have handy checklists of important things to remember at the scene of an automobile accident. Some have immediate delivery of that information to the victim’s insurance carrier.  Other apps give step by step directions such as “turn on flashers” and “pull to the side of the road”.

Help, I Crashed my Car is an Android app that allows users to preload emergency contact information and provides lists of what to do and when to do it. It also provides a GPS tracking device so that it can always be found. Insurance information is also included and provides information fields to fill out at the scene that can be transferred to the carrier. The Car Accident Report is a similar iPhone app. It has a feature that integrates the iPhone camera to take shots of the accident to include in the report. 

The camera is another part of the SmartPhone that can help during an accident. Emotions and tempers run high at the scene, not to mention the probability of injuries.  Small details captured on a camera can mean a lot when it’s time to take the case to trial.

There are some down sides to the apps, however. They contain a lot of information that isn’t easily absorbed at the scene of an accident when anxiety is rampant. The typeface is also very small which can pose a problem for a car accident victim frantically trying to read a checklist. 

The most important thing to remember during an accident is to make sure everyone is safe. If medical attention is needed calling for help is easier now than ever before. While cell phones are not for regular use while driving they can definitely be a lifesaver after an accident.