Controversy in Tasmania: Police deny Apple's Crash Detection aided quick arrival at accident site

In Tasmania, Australia, a Ford Ranger pulling a horse trailer collided with a tree stump and activated the iPhone 14's Crash Detection feature, enabling police to reach the accident scene within eight minutes. Thanks to the prompt response of law enforcement, the five individuals in the vehicle, aged 14 to 20, were taken to Launceston General Hospital. One of the injured has already been discharged.

According to ABC Australia, two of the four horses being transported in the accident passed away, while the remaining two were humanely put down at the crash site. The police attribute the accident to driver fatigue and it occurred at 1:45 AM on Monday.

However, Tasmania Police Inspector Ruth Orr stated that it was not the Crash Detection feature that helped police to arrive at accident site. Orr added that cops were already near to accident site, stating police were "in the area on an unrelated matter". Therefore, in this accident, police did not take advantage of Crash Detection feature for immediate arrival. 

False positives from the iPhone 14's Crash Detection feature reportedly causing problems

We have reported yesterday that Crash Detection feature causes false alarms in Japan. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Japan has warned smartphone users to exercise caution when using crash detection features, as there has been an increase in the number of automated emergency calls made unnecessarily.

Following this report, from January 1 to January 23, the Gujo City Fire Department received 351 emergency calls, out of which 135 were false alarms.