A NEW app based around using three key words to alert emergency services of the location of a collision is up and running in Warwickshire.
“What3Words” is a simple yet powerful app which has divided the world into three metre squares and given each square a unique combination of three words – its What3Words address. For example Silver.Label.Smile refers to a precise three metre square within Warwick Castle.
If a collision or emergency situation occurs, callers can give the call handler the three words and this will help dispatch emergency services to their precise location. This is even more important in rural locations where it’s difficult to communicate a location accurately.
The app gives the caller a simple way to describe precisely where help is needed, enabling responders to find and get resources to the scene as quickly as possible. It is hoped that this simple change, could help save more lives and reduce the seriousness of some injuries due to patients receiving treatment more quickly.
The What3Words system works offline, making it ideal for use in areas with an unreliable data connection. What3Words addresses cover the entire world and can be used in over 40 languages.
Coun Wallace Redford, Warwickshire County Council’s (WCC) spokesperson for transport and planning, said: “When responding to incidents, the emergency services can sometimes spend critical time and resources working to locate people in need of help. Whilst this does not generally stop help arriving, for some patients, What3Words could be the difference between life and death.”
Chair of Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership and Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Seccombe, added: “We are asking the public to use What3Words to provide the location of a collision when calling the emergency services as we hope this could help save more lives and reduce the seriousness of some injuries, ultimately giving those involved in collisions a better future.
“This is just one of many initiatives being developed by Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership to help achieve our target of a 50 per cent reduction in those killed or seriously injured on our roads by 2030.”
