Bosch's Rideshare Security Camera has a Secret Panic Button For Driver Emergencies

A new dashcam from Bosch can help rideshare drivers stay safer during an incident, even if they are unable to contact authorities themselves. There are numerous disturbing dashcam videos of Uber and Lyft drivers being attacked by enraged passengers. While the footage can be used to prosecute offenders after the fact, Bosch has developed a new dashcam to help rideshare drivers stay safer during an incident. You never know what kind of drivers you're going to run into on the road, and the footage automatically captured and stored by these devices can make it simple to prove to the law that you weren't at fault if you were involved in an accident or an incident on the road, so it's not a bad idea to invest in a windshield-mounted camera even if you only drive when going out for weekly groceries. When an occurrence, such as a collision, is detected outside the car, the Bosch RideCare's standard dashcam features, such as motion and noise sensors, will instantly activate the recording of video and time-stamp it. The RideCare dashcam, however, has a second camera that records the interior of the vehicle in addition to a front-facing camera that operates even in low light, making it the perfect choice for rideshare drivers who want concrete evidence in the event of a dispute with a passenger that could harm their status and reputation and, consequently, their ability to make money from a specific rideshare service. [caption id="attachment_79084" align="aligncenter" width="768"] bosch[/caption] More significant is the dashcam's capacity to increase a driver's physical safety. Built-in algorithms can send out a warning if the dashcam's cameras are "compromised or blocked," but the driver is also given a covert, wireless SOS button that can be used to initiate an emergency call to a Bosch-run 24/7 call center, where operators will have immediate access to live feeds from both of the dashcam's cameras (assuming they're driving somewhere with reliable cellular connectivity). Then, the operators can determine whether calling for and directing emergency personnel to the location of the car is necessary. Although OnStar from General Motors is more well-known, Bosch has been running its own emergency contact centers in more than 50 countries since 2012, and over 27 million vehicles worldwide are connected to the company's emergency services. In other words, this isn't a brand-new Bosch initiative; rather, it's an expansion of an already successful service that offers special advantages to rideshare drivers who might experience situations where it's unsafe for them to use a phone to call for assistance or when they aren't physically able to do more than simply press a single help button.