ATHENS, Ga. — One of the nations top ride sharing companies, Uber, is taking safety to the next level. According to the Athens Clarke County Police, the Athens Clarke County 911 center will be the first in Georgia to partner with Uber in an effort to increase speediness and information accuracy for Uber drivers and riders.
This is an in-app sharing program that allows a rider or a driver to contact 911. If they contact 911 through the Uber app, it will automatically share key information with the 911 dispatchers in Athens-Clarke County electronically.
“Every second counts in an emergency, and we want to make sure Uber users have important information to get help quickly if faced with an emergency situation," Krishnaja Gutta, Uber Product Safety Manager said.
Emergency units will be able to see the make, model, color, license plate and GPS location.
“In Athens-Clarke County, it is important to get help to individuals during an emergency quickly. In some cases the caller may not be able to give accurate information about their location or may not be able to communicate at all. This technology will help 911 call takers get emergency services personnel to individuals in need by more quickly pinpointing their location,” said Captain Keith Kelley with the 911 Communications Center.
The Uber integration relies on another partnership the ACCPD has with RapidSOS. RapidSOS is an emergency communications technology company.
"Through RapidSOS, Central Communications has access to the NG911 Clearinghouse which receives data from the Internet of Things (smartphones, connected cars, wearables, and connected homes) and securely sends the relevant data to 911 and first responders," ACCPD release noted.
This feature is already available in more than 60 cities, Gutta, said. She also added that Uber believes technology can help make the roads safer.
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