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Watch a Driverless Car Hitting a Stationary Vehicle to See If iPhone Crash Detection Works

One of the features that Apple has proudly announced on the newly announced iPhone 14 generation is called Crash Detection.
Self-driving car hitting a station vehicle to determine iPhone Crash Detection reliability 10 photos
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video/TechRax channel
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And given its self-explanatory name, figuring out what it does shouldn’t be rocket science.

Crash Detection uses the sensors available on the iPhone, including the gyroscope, the accelerometer, the GPS, the microphone, and so on, to figure out if you’ve been involved in a crash. If it does detect a heavy collision, the iPhone can then automatically dial 911 and alert the first responders of an accident that may have left you unconscious.

The iPhone is able to provide location information on its own, so the emergency teams can find you as quickly as possible.

Also available on the latest-generation Apple Watch models, Crash Detection is enabled by default, but of course, it’s something you won’t be able to tell if it’s working properly until, well, you know.

But the folks behind the YouTube channel TechRax have tried to determine if Crash Detection is indeed doing what it says without any risk of injuries.

So what they did was to create an improvised self-driving car that was directed right into a stationary vehicle (multiple stationary vehicles, actually, as the first attempt involving just a single target didn’t work as expected, given the limited control of the direction).

We’re not trying to provide any spoilers and ruin the fun of watching the video, but we do have to tell you that Crash Detection works. It does have a lag, so it starts dialing after some 10 seconds, but it seems to detect the collision properly, especially if the fender bender is hard enough to need the help of emergency responders.

Of course, it’s hard to tell if the new iPhone feature works as reliably on every single occasion, but at the end of the day, nobody should want to know this precisely anyway, right?

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About the author: Bogdan Popa
Bogdan Popa profile photo

Bogdan keeps an eye on how technology is taking over the car world. His long-term goals are buying an 18-wheeler because he needs more space for his kid’s toys, and convincing Google and Apple that Android Auto and CarPlay deserve at least as much attention as their phones.
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