Car called 'SOS' after wreck

[Malaki86]

This morning, I saw a car go off the side of the road and through a support post for a roadsign. I pulled to the shoulder, grabbed my phone and fire extinguisher and ran back to the car. Luckily, the guy was fine. Can't say that for the car though.

The support post was a 4x4 treated lumber. He hit dead-center on the car with it, probably @ 50+ mph. Pretty much the entire front of the car was mangled, as well as the windshield blown out from the airbag going off.

What was weird, though, was that the car's horn and lights were flashing/honking. It took me a couple of minutes to catch onto what it was, though - it was S-O-S in morse code. That was the coolest thing I've ever seen.

Oh - the car was a newer Honda or Toyota - couldn't tell for sure.

[golfhobo]

That IS cool, Mal! If it weren't for gov't regulations on the auto industry, he might not have HAD an airbag... and may have been seriously hurt, or worse. YOU might not have been around to save him! In cases like that.... having the car alarm "linked" to nationally recognized warning messages is brilliant. A guy in a house up on a hill (who couldn't hear the horn,) might have recognized the flashing light "code" for SOS. Someone within earshot, (but not able to see the lights,) might recognize the pattern of the horn blasts.

I used to work for Onstar. Our cars would have alerted US directly and immediately with gps location. We would have known within seconds whether or not we had "voice contact" with a conscious driver. One of our selling points was that a driver may not be conscious (though badly hurt,) or may not be able to reach or find his cellphone (with limited coverage.) Also... we would have notified local emergency personnel within minutes or seconds.

In the absence of such superior emergency protocol.... the "smart" technology you witnessed is an impressive step up from the old days. I'm glad someone thought of it. Now... all we need is more Americans who even KNOW what S-O-S sounds/looks like!

On a lighter note.... My last co-driver, Joey, had his incoming text "ringer" set to the same S-O-S pattern. Since, he texted all the time, I heard it all day long! I finally HAD to put some words to it to keep from going insane. I settled on.... "An Swer Me - Jo ey- An swer me!"

[CleeIB]

That's really cool, Malaki86. Thanks for sharing.

In the future, the car would dust itself off, transform into a two-legged robot, call 911, and have a conversation with the operator.

Hobo - Couldn't you have just told Joey to set a different ring? That's just common courtesy for him.

[golfhobo]

Hobo - Couldn't you have just told Joey to set a different ring? That's just common courtesy for him.

As a successful TEAM... we tried to stay away from "telling" each other what to do, or how to BE. It's all about the art of compromise. I didn't realize I gave such a negative connotation to the situation. I found it kinda funny... as did HE... when I pointed it out.

[Windwalker]

The idea of "SOS" is great. But, now would you like to so a survey and find out just how many people actually know what it means? Three dots, three dashes, and three dots are just that to most people. They don't associate it with anything.

[Malaki86]

Even if people didn't know what it meant, hearing a repeating set of honks like that would raise a flag in anyone's mind, though. A steady honking horn, or one that just does a 'honk-honk-honk-honk...' wouldn't mean as much. I know I don't pay attention when I hear a car alarm that does that.

[Fredog]

more than likely whoever heard it would just keep saying " I wish that ******* would knock it off"

[Fredog]

a few weeks ago, a friend saw a car hit the shoulder, and he noticed that the car was starting to burn, the driver jumped out and my friend pullled over and grabbed his fire extinguisher and was able to put the fire out, he noticed the driver was on the phone and he asked her if she had the fire department on the line, she said no, she had the insurance company and then cussed him out for putting it out, she said if it burned up she could have gotten a new car, but now all she had was a burned piece of crap, she said he should have minded his own business and now he had cost her a car. such gratitude

[Malaki86]

Too bad she got out of the car

[VPIDarkAngel]

Too bad she got out of the car

Dagnabbit, I was gonna make a smart-aleck remark, but you beat me to it!
So tell me Fredog, what insurance company is it that'll be sending you a Christmas card for the next 20 years?

[Roadhog]

She's a ~ spacktard.
The fire could turn into a wildland fire, not to mention a burning car gives off some very toxic fumes.

[Roadhog]

The idea of "SOS" is great. But, now would you like to so a survey and find out just how many people actually know what it means? Three dots, three dashes, and three dots are just that to most people. They don't associate it with anything.

My horse would stomp that out sometimes... maybe he was just high on grass though.

[Fredog]

And maybe blow up and kill her and other people