Emergency Data Program RapidSOS Partners With Uber To Save Lives
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - During an emergency, the single most important thing first responders need to know, is your location.
It's the reason RapidSOS was created in the first place.
"We partner with public safety, to give critical information that they need in an emergency," said Michael Martin, the company's CEO.
Whether it's a car wreck, domestic violence, or a heart attack, RapidSOS is an emergency data program that believes in using the data that's already being collected around us, to give first responders enhanced information.
"We live in 2021, we have something like 20 billion connected devices around us. All of those devices and technology should work in harmony to save our lives when we need it," Martin said.
That's when their partnership with Uber was born. The app already tracks your precise location during trips, but now it can help keep riders and drivers safe in an emergency, by making critical information available to dispatch automatically through RapidSOS.
"It's going to get fire, police, law enforcement or a combination of any, there that much quicker to the scene," said Wade Stormer, with Uber's Public safety team.
If at any point a rider or driver feels they need emergency services, they can call 911 through Uber, in which dispatch can track the car make, model and precise location in real time.
Uber says the partnership is meant for any critical incident that could occur during a ride, including a wreck or medical emergency.
"Safety is one of our top priorities for riders and drivers, we believe that this technology will do nothing but help because seconds count in emergencies," Stormer said.
The feature is ready to use in North Texas, so the next time you take a ride, look for it in the app.
It just may save your life.