SYNC 911 Assist Enhancements to Debut on 2015 Mustang

Ford SYNC 911 Assist Enhancements to Debut on 2015 Ford Mustang

• 911 Assist™ is a subscription-free emergency feature included in more than 7 million Ford vehicles equipped with SYNC® technology; with the customer’s consent, it helps connect vehicle occupants directly to a local 911 operator following an airbag deployment or if the fuel supply shuts off
• Enhancements to 911 Assist, debuting on the 2015 Ford Mustang, will provide dispatchers with additional information beyond available GPS coordinates, including a crash description and safety belt usage
• When introduced in 2008, 911 Assist was the industry’s first automotive technology to call 911 directly following a crash instead of relaying calls through a third party, saving valuable time

New Ford SYNC® 911 Assist™ features debuting on the 2015 Ford Mustang will offer emergency dispatchers more potentially vital information to better inform first responders en route to an accident.

“911 Assist uses a mobile phone connected to SYNC to call 911 directly when needed,” said David Hatton, global product leader and electrical engineer, Ford Connected Services. “With enhanced data, the system will provide even more detail about a crash to aid in the dispatch of the appropriate resources.”

For example, if a dispatcher knows that both front safety belts were fastened at the time of a high-speed collision, he or she may decide to send an additional ambulance directly to the scene. Safety belt monitoring varies based on the airbag systems in the vehicle.

911 Assist requires customer consent to enable the feature when initially pairing a cellphone to SYNC, and the customer has the option to cancel the call before it is placed. In the event of an airbag deployment or fuel shutoff, a direct 911 call is placed using an occupant’s SYNC-connected phone. The operator then receives a brief, prerecorded message that a Ford vehicle has been in a crash and has the option to retrieve vehicle GPS information.

The enhancements will provide the ability to deliver information such as the maximum change in velocity during impact, indication of crash type (front, side, rear or rollover), safety belt usage as detected by the vehicle, awareness of whether multiple impacts occurred and whether airbags were deployed.

“SYNC will only broadcast relevant information to save time, and it constructs a very efficient message for the operator,” said Hatton. “After the introductory message, the voice line opens automatically and occupants can speak directly with the operator via SYNC’s hands-free functionality.”

Ford worked with the National Emergency Number Association to gather input from members, including Eaton County Central Dispatch in Michigan, and to educate emergency responders about the technology.

“We are pleased to continue working with Ford to prolong our vision of any device, anywhere, anytime to provide help needed in the event of an emergency,” said Ty Wooten, education and operations director, National Emergency Number Association. “This new data provided by 911 Assist will be useful in deciding the proper level of the initial response, and will give call takers an indication as to the severity of the incident.”

Staying engaged with the needs and desires of customers, as well as the emergency services community, Ford continues to work with nonprofit agencies such as the National Emergency Number Association as the company develops enhancements to 911 Assist.

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...hancements-to-debut-on-2015-ford-mustang.html

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5th-Stang said:

The issue I have with this, and all newer cars, is the ability to know the speed of a crash, seatbelt use, etc. To me, this is a privacy issue. I can avoid it by not buying it, but I want the car. We have a GM vehicle in our "fleet" and one of the first things I did was disconnect the OnStar module from its antenna and power source, and remove the battery pack in the module. Don't need it. Some will say "if you are doing nothing wrong, then don't worry". My point, again, is privacy. That's my 2 cents, and I'm sticking to it!

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5th-Stang said:

The issue I have with this, and all newer cars, is the ability to know the speed of a crash, seatbelt use, etc. To me, this is a privacy issue. I can avoid it by not buying it, but I want the car. We have a GM vehicle in our "fleet" and one of the first things I did was disconnect the OnStar module from its antenna and power source, and remove the battery pack in the module. Don't need it. Some will say "if you are doing nothing wrong, then don't worry". My point, again, is privacy. That's my 2 cents, and I'm sticking to it!

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5th-Stang said:

The issue I have with this, and all newer cars, is the ability to know the speed of a crash, seatbelt use, etc. To me, this is a privacy issue. I can avoid it by not buying it, but I want the car. We have a GM vehicle in our "fleet" and one of the first things I did was disconnect the OnStar module from its antenna and power source, and remove the battery pack in the module. Don't need it. Some will say "if you are doing nothing wrong, then don't worry". My point, again, is privacy. That's my 2 cents, and I'm sticking to it!

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scottpe said:

Law enforcement have been analyzing crashes for decades... long before all of this electronic stuff. If you think they can't decipher how fast someone was going or whether someone was wearing a seat belt in an accident, I think you might be fooling yourself.

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MustangSteve said:

Keep in mind that Ford vehicles with SYNC don't have embedded cellular radios. Ford did this on purpose when they designed the system so that owners wouldn't be tied to a particular technology for the life of the car. Instead drivers bring their own connection and SYNC provides the interface to connect whatever phone or media player you choose to use.

Bottom line is if you don't want sync services like 911 assist, don't pair your phone to the car or put it in airplane mode when you get in the car. Then the vehicle has no means to communicate with the outside world.

The only exceptions to this are the Focus electric and the plug-in hybrids which do use an OnStar style embedded radio so owners can check charge status and manage charging remotely.

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Topnotch said:

See the cloth seats...

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HrsePwr said:

it looks like the sun is shining off the headrest - i think a cloth headrest wouldn't be as reflective. That makes me think it's leather.

They did say you can choose not to turn on 911 Assist.

I know we've seen them before, but all those buttons are hideous: "MFT for me, please".

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