Realsafe Technologies Ltd
RST is a public safety technology company that develops, maintains, and licences its award-winning smartphone-based crash detection and emergency alerting software.
Its life-saving technology protects millions of miles of journeys by customers travelling within the automotive and motorcycle markets.
The company works with major brands around the world helping protect those who crash and may require urgent emergency assistance.
Led by motorcycling co-founder Andrew Richardson, the company’s hero product REALRIDER® is an industry first app for motorcyclists which detects if a rider has had a crash and notifies the Emergency Services who can then send an ambulance to the rider’s exact last known location.
Getting an immediate alert in the event of an accident and knowing the exact location of the crash site cuts emergency services’ response time by up to 50% in rural and up to 40% in urban areas.
A riders’ chances of survival are greatly improved the quicker emergency services can find and treat the patient.
The journey begins
Back in 2016, RST’s management team worked with paramedics and air ambulance pilots to create ‘Crash Scene Management,’ a section of the award-winning motorcycle DVD ‘Great Roads Great Rides’ created on behalf of the then Highways Agency.
During filming, it was evident from their feedback that there was a clear need for a solution that could a) identify the precise location of an injured rider, and b) deliver this information quickly and efficiently to the nearest ambulance control room.
By 2011 and with a prototype crash detection app in place, John Rowland, NEAS’s Compliance & Resilience Manager became an instrumental part of the app development and emergency alerting processes. Karen Smith, BT’s Emergency Authority & Government Relationship Manager helped oversee technical and integration requirements for connecting with the 999 interface.
In 2013 the REALRIDER® app was launched to motorcyclists across the UK. NEAS were responsible for handling all emergency alerts from the app as part a two-year pilot with BT. Data generated by the pilot contributed to development of ‘auto-pause,’ a piece of technology to help minimise false triggering.
Getting involved with British APCO
Andrew Richardson, Realsafe Technologies Co-Founder said. “We had started a consultative approach to app development from the word go as we didn’t want to become a burden to the Emergency Service. We wanted to ensure we followed the appropriate systems and protocols to deliver a solution that could help save lives. We recognised early on the importance of the creation of a formal accreditation process and getting involved with British APCO gave us a platform to share our development journey with others.”
The team at Realsafe Technologies worked closely with BT’s 999 specialists where they developed the technical framework to plug REALRIDER® crash data directly into 999.
In 2016, REALRIDER® achieved government certification becoming the first app permitted to automatically send motorcycle crash data to the Emergency Services via the BT managed 999 service.
RST worked tirelessly with the team at British APCO (Association of Public Safety Communications Officials), the North East Ambulance Service and BT to ensure the process was simple and seamless, and more importantly did not pose a hindrance to any party involved.
Today, RST’s automatic crash detection and emergency alerting service protects vulnerable road users around the globe. The company’s technology is used by brands in the automotive and motorcycle sectors technology with expansion via new partners on the horizon.
Looking ahead
The credibility that British APCO 999-accreditation provided has helped Realsafe Technologies achieve emergency service integration across North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The company licenses its technology and is in talks with a variety of Motorcycle OEMs.
The technology powering REALRIDER® offers reassurance to riders and family members who are acutely aware of motorcyclists’ vulnerability, especially when riding alone.
In 2023, REALRIDER® & ACR Bivy joined forces to automatically alert the emergency services via satellite when cellular & Wi-Fi coverage are not available. The REALRIDER® app will soon include both automatic alerting & a manual sos button for riders who crash and need emergency assistance. A Bivy Stick & Iridium satellite airtime package will be required.
Connect with Realsafe Technologies:
Email: andrew@realsafetechnologies.com
Web: www.realsafetechnologies.com
Product web: www.realrider.com
Twitter: @realrider
Facebook: www.facebook.com/REALRIDER1