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news
What3words app helps get urgent assistance to cyclist who was injured after skidding on oil
A cyclist who was seriously injured after skidding on a patch of oil on a descent in Yorkshire has spoken of how two riders who found him after the crash summoned help through the what3words app.
> Cycling app of the week: what3words
The app uses three random words, all tied to an exact location, to identify where it is – much more accurate than an 8-digit National Grid reference – and anywhere on the planet.
Algy Kazlauciunas was riding in Nidderdale in the Yorkshire Dales when he crashed on 20 September last year, reports YorkshireLive.
The 70-year-old, who is a lecturer at Leeds University, feared he would be run over by motorists coming round the bend he had crashed on.
Luckily, two cyclists riding the Coast to Coast route rode by a few minutes later and found him and, using what3words, summoned help, with an air ambulance arriving withing 10 minutes.
Mr Kazlauciunas, who lives in Leeds, said: “I hit an oil slick at about 30mph and there were no cars except for a lorry.
“You’ve got no chance, I was straight off. I flew quite a distance, it seemed like I had scooped into the air.
“I didn’t seem to panic, which is bizarre. I just found myself lying in an oil slick, covered in oil, and you suddenly realise what the hell is going on.
“I had to drag myself, I knew I broke my femur, I knew straight away, but I dragged the leg and pulled myself to the side.”
He was airlifted to Harrogate hospital where he underwent an operation in which a metal rod was inserted in his knee.
Speaking of the cyclists who discovered him, he said: “I was so lucky they were doing this Coast to Coast. They were doing it on minor roads, as it was such an empty road.”
He added: “I have downloaded the app now. For anybody who is a keen hiker or cyclist, if you’re getting out to remote areas, everybody should download this app.
“If something happens to you it means they can get to you so much more quickly. I have to say all credit to all people to made the app.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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50 comments
Indeed!
But W3W have a great PR team – pushing press releases which are then reported as uncritical news.
Just what a news desk loves, a fully packaged ready to print a̶d̶v̶e̶r̶t̶ article.
Hmm..
I imagine a person with a broken leg on a single track.. Looking at paper maps and trying to triangulate themself using a compass. THEN calling emergency services and explaining this to them where they are.
Another scenario: this person opens up Google Maps and sends an SMS (let me remind you that SMS is a text message) to 999.
Well, it's definitely more convenient then relying on a modern technologies.
You do realise that there is not 100% phone coverage in the UK. You may not get a signal at all.
Referring to the article - 'if you’re getting out to remote areas' you do need proper equipment it is foolish to rely 100% on a phone.
btw I already mentioned sms so I don't know why you are repeating it back to me.
Norfolk is a perfect example of that, patchy phone signal, even patchier data signal, completely featureless terrain & no road signs. If you get lost in that part of the world, or lose your bearings, aint no app going to help you out of that mess.
This why I only holiday in the Gobi desert. Norfolk scares the bejeezus out of me.
I was hoping you might post being in the Norfolk/Suffolk area.
People tend to conflate population coverage with area coverage. There are parts of the lake district and wales where it is hopeless. In fact in Essex, I can go 1 mile down the road to get to a blackspot.
We did stay in a hotel in Suffolk which boasted no phone signal - they wanted to attract people who wanted peace and quiet.
But then you won't be phoning for help either, so moot really. These guys were not lost. The article was about being easily able to give your location over the phone.
But how is knowing your six figure grid reference and how to light a fire without matches going to summon help? For that you need a phone. Of course it's good to go prepared and have the skills and equipment, but these guys were not lost.
My kids (teenagers) never respond if I send them an SMS. I checked, and they both said "But we never check for text messages; who would send us a text message?"
Apparently all their social contacts are Whatsapp or Insta or some such soshul meeja thing which I don't use...
Do you know for sure if emergency services are able/willing to accept and react to SMS? What if you are not in UK? One benefit of this app is that if you are using the same phone as hosts the app to call an ambulance, you might have a chance of remembering those words after the likely 45 seconds it might take you to get through the pre-amble of the call with the operator. Otherwise, you've got to assume the caller is confident enough with their smartphone to switch apps, look at the words/coordinates and then read them back. Using speakerphone isn't always viable outside with road/wind noise. Would be ideal if smartphone firmware was coded to recognize dial of emergency number and trap that with an onscreen prompt asking "can I auto-release your GPS co-ords in background as part of this call". It's not exactly rocket science, but the problem will be coordinating it globally
its called advanced mobile location (AML), or emergency location service (ELS) if you are google, its been in place for 5 years, but works on phones older than that, it doesnt ask you for permission (well except buried in the T&Cs you agreed to when you bought the phone) it automatically sends the SMS with enhanced location data when you make a call to emergency services, works in the UK, is being adopted globally.
Then What3Words can get you into trouble, because the different language versions actually use totally different words. So if you have your UK W3W and the German or Portuguese or Turkish rescue service have their language versions installed, they may not be able to help you. Or the other way round, if the Turkish tourists phone UK services, they tell them three Turkish words - how many operators will be able to type them in?
Yes. What3Words is free to use for the casual user, but costs real money for emergency services to subscribe to - money which they could probably spend more usefuly. Phones can already send GPS data like a Google Maps location or the iPhone 'Compass' app which shows lat/log coordinates.
I expect someone in pain or medical need, it is easier to do three words then open up one app to read 9 numbers off or having to remember a number to send an SMS to with the maps location. The emergency services have decided to pay a cost to have a simple standardised system so why muddy the waters.
"What3words app helps get cyclist injured after skidding on oil on Yorkshire descent urgent help"
How has the app helped get the cyclist injured? I didn't think it was possible to write a sentence so badly.
Thank you for pointing that out, headline clarified.
May I sugggest:
What3words app helps get urgent help for cyclist who was injured after skidding on oil on Yorkshire descent
Or, for some headline brevity:
What3words app helps get urgent help for injured cyclist
Or, for some headline excitement:
What3words app aids helicopter rescue of injured cyclist in minutes
It is unfortunately for the sense of a clause which can be split apart for the insertion of subordinate information not aided by the use of punctuation such as commas hyphens or brackets to aid parenthesis which would clarify the parameters of subordinate clauses not helpful.
To boldly go...
oh, you are awful.
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