Telematics in general and Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) technologies specifically represent one of the most important safety improvements in the automotive industry since the development of the airbag. Telematics is a broad term used to describe the convergence of telecommunications, information, location, sensor and automotive technologies. Telematics providers offer a host of services to the drivers of telematics equipped vehicles, both passenger and commercial that include automatic airbag deployment notification, emergency response requests, navigation assistance, remote activation of horn, lights, and vehicle tracking, to name a few. All the leading companies in the telematics field are members of COMCARE.

COMCARE’s overarching goal is to have an emergency response system where the push of a car’s Mayday button or a crash touches off a flow of valuable, real time information about the incident, the patient, and the response, which will make response faster, and every party in the response chain able to provide more informed care.  This will or could include information from the car, from the telematics service provider, to and from 9-1-1 PSAPs, from personal medical and electronic health records, to and from EMS, to and from hospitals – shared with each of those in the response chain who need it.

THE NEED

Precious minutes define the difference between life and death, recovery and permanent injury and between safety and danger. Knowing that an emergency has occurred and its location shaves minutes, and often much more, off of emergency response.  Knowing how bad the crash is from sensor data in the car and other sources, allows us to predict the likelihood of severe injury and get the right care to the patient.

The medical community uses the term, the “golden Hour” to describe the first sixty minutes after traumatic injury. If medical professionals can begin to administer treatment within the first golden hour after injury, the ability to save the patient’s life or avoid permanent injuries is greatly enhanced. Reaching the victim in the platinum 10 minutes enhances survival even more.

According to National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are over 43,000 deaths and 250,000 life threatening injuries occurring every year on our nation’s highways. Medical professionals will frankly tell you that emergency medical treatment has advanced to a stage where, in general, gains in mortality and morbidity that can be made by changes within the emergency room are limited. A key area to save lives and improve recovery in medical emergencies lies outside the hospital.

Alternatively, telematics is being used by law enforcement to track and recover stolen cars.  Most recently, COMCARE member OnStar announced it will deploy the ability for law enforcement to slowly stop stolen cars. 

COMCARE’S APPROACH

The emergency response system in the US is traditionally voice–centric. However, leading edge telematics, the ubiquity of wireless technologies, and the power of the Internet Protocol information systems need to be used to deliver location and automatic crash notification data to a wide range of emergency responders in real time, and at a relatively low cost. 

COMCARE believes that data should play a key role in emergency response efforts and has done significant work on communicating the benefits of using these data for informed emergency response, providing responders with the information they need when they need it so that better decisions can be made.

• Fact that an incident occurred, even if vehicle occupants cannot call for help
  
  
• Exact latitude and longitude of the incident
  
  
• A voice connection with the car
  
  
• Sensor data describing the force of the crash and the direction of force, whether there was a roll over
  
  
• Number of occupants and whether they were wearing seatbelts
  
  
• Age and gender of the victims
  
  
• Key information from personal medical and electronic health records, such as pre-existing conditions, medications
  
  
• Constantly updated injury prediction software, linked to response protocols
  
  
• The care given at each stage

COMCARE has worked hard to advance the use of telematics generated data for emergency response. Along with the Department of Transportation, it convened the year long National Mayday Readiness Initiative (NMRI) with more than 15 national organizations to begin to address the policy and technical issues raised by telematics.  The detailed NMRI Final Report still has policy relevance.  In addition, COMCARE convened a working group of over 25 organizations to develop a data message standard, called the Vehicular Emergency Data Set or VEDS for the exchange of telematics information. This is now in use by OnStar. 

After years of work with our members and others, COMCARE developed an open, standards-based architecture and strategy as a guide to enable both voice and data interoperability across a wide variety of organizations. The strategy calls for two core services that can facilitate the exchange of data by allowing agencies to register, indicating what information they need and want and how they want to receive it. Data providers such as telematics service providers would query the core services to determine what agencies in the geographical area in which the accident occurred need the telematics information and how and where it should be sent.

COMCARE has been the key meeting place for the automotive industry, emergency medical professionals, and emergency responders on telematics policy, technical and research issues. 

FROM VISION TO REALITY

COMCARE continues its work on core services and plans to work with its members to trial them within the next twelve months. Once the systems used by emergency agencies can send and receive data according to their preferences, the data standard used to transit the data can be submitted to a standards development organization for review and approval. Meanwhile COMCARE plans to integrate the use of telematics information into many of its other projects such as the Vehicle Rescue Portal and the Integrated Patient Tracking Initiative.

Back to Top