Ford Offers Free 911 Call After Accidents

A Ford vehicle equipped with Microsoft’s SYNC car connectivity will dial 911 for free if the vehicle’s airbags are deployed, the companies announced during the Consumer Electronics (CES) show that began Sunday in Las Vegas. The SNYC gear will be in most Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars and trucks by the end of 2008, Ford said. SYNC is sold as a $395 add-on to manage mostly entertainment and communications functions in the car. The new “911 Assist” service will use an occupant’s linked cellular handset to make the 911 call after an airbag deployment, allowing 10 seconds for the call to be cancelled by an occupant before it’s dialed. The SYNC system will play a pre-recorded announcement when the call is answered, and then it will switch to speakphone so the occupants can talk to the dispatcher. The companies said the service would be provided without monthly fees and, unlike other subscription services (GM’s OnStar?), would place calls directly to the PSAP. There are just over 300,000 SYNC-equipped motorists on the road, although the companies said they expect that number to hit 1 million by the end of 2009.