Press Release

Motive Launches First-Of-Its-Kind First Responder Service for Commercial Vehicle Drivers To Get Life-Saving Assistance Faster

October 14, 2024 · 3-minute read

New Motive data reveals roads are more dangerous during the holiday season, with Christmas showing 32% more accidents compared to the rest of December and the highest crash rate across all other holidays

NASHVILLE –  Motive, the AI-powered Integrated Operations Platform, today announced a first-of-its-kind first responder service for drivers of commercial vehicles that expedites emergency response in the event of a severe collision. The new First Responder feature was developed in partnership with RapidSOS and ensures drivers receive immediate help when a collision is detected by quickly dispatching emergency services, helping reduce fatalities and severe injuries, and setting a new standard for driver safety.

When a severe collision occurs, getting emergency help can often be a matter of life or death. Survival rates increase by 13% for every minute that first responders arrive faster at the scene of a collision. First Responder ensures drivers receive the urgent care they need even faster, reducing the amount of time it takes for 911 to verify incidents and helping dispatchers deploy appropriate resources faster.

“First Responder transforms the way we support drivers in a collision and will save lives,” says Shoaib Makani, co-founder and CEO of Motive. “By reducing the time it takes for 911 to verify incidents and dispatch help, we are taking a critical step toward achieving zero harm and zero preventable accidents, keeping everyone on the road safer.”

High-performing driver safety starts with accurate detection. Motive’s industry-leading AI detects 99% of severe collisions within seconds. Motive’s Safety Team of 400+ experts reviews every safety event video to confirm the collision and eliminate false positives, ensuring only verified incidents trigger alerts. Now, Motive’s new First Responder feature

• Improves the speed and accuracy of emergency response by programmatically sharing life-saving collision data, such as vehicle location, driver name, make, model, license plate, and other important information, directly to first responders. 
• Shares live updates through the Motive Dashboard and Fleet App, ensuring safety managers have clear visibility and knows that first responders have been notified.
• Delivers a priority phone number to enable customers to bypass long wait times and get immediately connected to emergency dispatchers near the collision.

“I cannot overstate the importance of a technology that initiates rapid emergency response,” said Jared Whitson, Director of Safety for the Bennett Family of Companies. “The preservation of life and the prevention of further injury is dependent on seconds, not minutes. Motive’s AI-powered collision detection and First Responder will bring an essential layer of safety to drivers and provide organizations with confidence that accurate information is provided to emergency services. This technology will set a new standard for the industry.” 

“Roadway safety has been a priority for RapidSOS since its inception, and the partnership with Motive significantly strengthens how we improve safety,” Michael Martin, CEO and co-founder of RapidSOS said. “This new capability closes a critical safety gap by helping 911 identify emergencies faster and provides more intelligence to first responders which helps them arrive faster and more informed.”

There were almost 50,000 road fatalities last year. New Motive data reveals that the holiday season is especially dangerous. In 2023, there was a 32% increase in commercial vehicle crash rates on Christmas Day, compared to the rest of December, and a 10% increase in speeding events the week leading up to Christmas. Among all U.S. holidays, Christmas saw the highest crash rate, followed by Martin Luther King Jr. Day, New Year’s Day, and Thanksgiving, indicating winter months are particularly dangerous. Bad weather increases risks, with 65.5% of Christmas collisions occurring on wet or snowy roads.

Motive customers can use powerful, accurate AI to monitor and protect drivers. New AI-powered enhancements to Motive’s Driver Safety product combat driver fatigue, which contributes to nearly 100,000 accidents, 800 fatalities, and 50,000 injuries annually. Motive’s AI-powered Drowsiness Detection detects early and late signs of drowsy driving, including frequent yawning and eyes closed. In addition, new Forward Collision Warning AI helps prevent rear-end crashes, which account for 29% of all crashes, by alerting drivers to brake when a driver approaches another vehicle ahead of them too quickly.