Global Positioning Satellite systems figure out where the car is, and center personnel can call the proper police. Veridian, a company based in New York, is working on an even more sophisticated system. It delivers a message to 911 operators and trauma centers. The data tell them where the vehicle is, whether it's on its wheels, side or top, where the impact was and how hard. When the data are delivered, a voice line is opened between the car and dispatch center through a cell phone mounted in the car.
Tests are under way in Erie County in New York and in Minnesota.
One day, the system could detect how many people are in the car and if they were wearing seat belts. The more information available, the more quickly emergency personnel can dispatch the right number of vehicles to an accident and prepare emergency room physicians for what they'll be treating, said Noah Rifkin of Veridian. In four or five years the Veridian system should be offered in new cars and available for older cars, he said. It should take a little less than 10 years before you typically see it on most cars on the road. Those companies sell it to drivers for specific routes.