iPhone 14 sending crash detection warnings from snowmobiles

Over the past couple of weeks, Bayfield County Sheriff’s Office has received several false crash detection warnings. The iPhone feature detects a severe car crash, and connects to emergency services and notify your emergency contacts. However, sometimes these alerts can happen from the sheer force of snowmobiling, skiing, and other winter sports.

Chief Deputy Andy Runice, of the Bayfield County Sheriff Office, explained how false crash detection warnings are impacting emergency services. “Over the past week or so, we’ve had two reported crashes. Which were triggered by folks out on snowmobiles that I’m guessing the G-force sensors in the phones trigger those alerts. Every time this happened, a member of the sheriff’s office or police departments in our county have to investigate to verify if this is factual or not.” Runice said. “And so then we have to try to attempt to locate where this happened. Then send resources out there to try to figure out what type of a crash is this and get into that area to find out. However, we do understand how they could be important to use.”

If you own an iPhone 14 you can change the crash detection message feature in your phone settings. Look under emergency SOS, and turn off call after severe crash.

Chief Deputy Runice also had a reminder about these crash detection warnings. “We encourage people that if they are going to use those features to understand the implications that comes with them. Numerous resources, including volunteer ambulance service fire departments, which are always in need of more personnel to help, do have to respond. Just be mindful of phone settings. If you do take breaks along their trail rides, check your phone to make sure that it didn’t call 911. Or you call back our dispatch center to alert us.” Runice said. “Continue riding safely on the trails. Watch your speed, keep to their side of the trail. We already had quite a few snowmobile crashes this season so far, and we hope to not have any more.”

For more information on the crash detection warning you can look here https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/manage-crash-detection-iph948a628e9/ios.

For another story about snowmobiles you can look here https://www.wdio.com/front-page/top-stories/wisconsin-dnr-reminds-snowmobilers-to-be-careful-as-ice-thins-statewide/.