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Car Calls 911, Snitches On Driver After Hit and Run Crash
Car Calls 911 After Alleged Hit-and-Run, Driver Arrested
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A driver allegedly involved in two hit-and-run incidents was tracked down after her car alerted the police.
As reported by local news outlets, an unusual 911 call to emergency services took place on Friday in Port St. Lucie, Florida. You would usually expect a human voice on the end of the line, but in this scenario, a Ford vehicle alerted the police to a collision.
57-year-old woman Cathy Bernstein allegedly hit a truck before ploughing into a van on Prima Vista Boulevard, fleeing the scene after each collision. While Bernstein allegedly ran for the hills, her car had already recorded the crash and automatically contacted 911 after recording the time and date of the collision.
The car's safety features, used by by Ford, BMW and other automakers, make use of sensors and Internet connectivity to shave down the time emergency responders take to get to the scene of an accident.
As an example, Ford's SYNC's Emergency Assistance portal pushes the car to send a direct call to emergency services when the airbag is deployed or the fuel pump is deactivated -- such as when a car suffers a sudden jolt against an object.
The system also gives 911 information including the car model, time, and GPS coordinates.
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In a later call from emergency services made to Bernstein directly, the driver denied all knowledge of any accident. The driver told the dispatcher that "everything was fine," before the dispatcher said, "Ok but your car called in saying you'd been involved in an accident. It doesn't do that for no reason. Did you leave the scene of an accident?"
"No I would never do that," Bernstein replied.
(more)
Related:
Hal 2015: Car Snitches On Its Driver After Hit-and-Run
Motorist Arrested for Hit-and-Run After Her Own Car Calls the Police
