New Zealand Wants GPS Data For Emergency Calls

A man was struck and killed by a van after calling 111 (New Zealand’s equivalent of 911 in the U.S.) for help. He reportedly was walking home from a party after a fight with his girlfriend. Toxicology reports showed his alcohol level was twice the legal limit when he was jumping in and out of traffic, apparently trying to get a ride home.

When the 111 dispatcher received the call from the man at 1:28am, informing them that he was stepping out in front of cars, they were unable to ascertain his location before the call was ended. The operator attempted to call the man back before asking Telecom to trace the call. Telecom was able to trace his location to the nearest cell phone tower, about 12 km away.

Police reached the man’s location in time to witness him being struck by a passing van. He was identified as 27-year-old Jason Patrick Roach and died in the hospital of blunt force trauma to the head. The coroner’s office recommended that 111 operators have access to the location date provided by the GPS technology built-in to most modern cell phones. 

Roach’s grieving mother agreed with the coroner’s recommendation. It wouldn’t have saved her son, because his cellphone didn’t have GPS. “But at least it would have put police in the right direction – anything that could save people in the future,” she said. “Things have never been the same since. You just don’t want it to happen to other people unnecessarily.”

Although there are privacy and other practical issues to consider, police are open to the idea of using the GPS tracking technology in smartphones to locate emergencies. “If this information source was available on request it would greatly assist and improve emergency services’ (police, fire and ambulance) response ensuring such callers received effective assistance promptly,” police said.

New Zealand Wants GPS Data For Emergency Calls