If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a regular driver, you’ve driven on highways and never went through such a traumatic experience, because although wrong way driving only accounts for 3% of highway accidents, they are 27 times more fatal than other collisions.
It’s the type of tragedy that we tend to think won’t happen to us, but when confronted with these statistics, are you really that confident? Wouldn’t you do anything in your reach to protect yourself and your loved ones from this type of vicious occurrences?
Well there is something you can do, in fact, that’s the whole reason why I’m conveying this message and like most good ideas, this one came to fruition as the the result of a partnership.
Bosch, NDrive and Microsoft Tackle Wrong Way Driving
What if I told you that every year, in the United States alone, 300 to 400 people are killed and several thousands more are injured when vehicles travelling the wrong way on a highway or on a freeway access collide with oncoming traffic? And how do you feel knowing that in the European Union, the number is also on the scale of thousands of yearly serious accidents that lead to serious injuries and deaths of drivers and passengers?
A small feature that can change lives
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re a regular driver, you’ve driven on highways and never went through such a traumatic experience, because although wrong way driving only accounts for 3% of highway accidents, they are 27 times more fatal than other collisions.
It’s the type of tragedy that we tend to think won’t happen to us, but when confronted with these statistics, are you really that confident? Wouldn’t you do anything in your reach to protect yourself and your loved ones from this type of vicious occurrences?
Well there is something you can do, in fact, that’s the whole reason why I’m conveying this message and like most good ideas, this one came to fruition as the the result of a partnership.
From code to reality
Bosch, the German multinational tech and engineering company, used Microsoft Azure cloud solution to create a Wrong-Way Driver Warning solution with the sole purpose of saving lives. In a matter of seconds, the solution alerts wrong way drivers and other drivers in the vicinity of the incoming danger and then provides precise instructions on how to act accordingly to avoid the worst case scenario.
One of the advantages of this solution it’s its speed. Broadcast alerts can take up to 4 minutes, quite different from the current 7-10 seconds provided by the Bosch solution, a difference large enough to save lives.
Bosch then contacted NDrive, that by being one of the largest navigation software services provider makes for a prime candidate as a partner and provider of potentially millions of drivers that can take value out of such a service and really make a dent on the number of tragedies wrong way driving related.
High-End technology available for everyone
NDrive is naturally proud of taking part in such a noble cause and technical challenge, and although this is a recent endeavour, the system has already detected it’s first wrong-way drivers. So, if you think your driving could benefit from this extra safety feature, just download Karta GPS on your phone and turn the wrong-way driving alert on the app’s settings menu. It’s available both on iOS and Android and is currently available on the following countries: Austria; Belgium; France; Germany; Ireland; Italy; Luxembourg; Netherlands; Poland; Portugal; Spain; Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Have a safe Drive.