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A new app which acts as a warning system to alert drivers to high-speed police chases taking place near them has been released in the US.
Pursuit Alert notifies users of any police pursuits going on in a three-mile radius to help them avoid getting caught up in the chaos.
The brainchild of a former sheriff in South Carolina, the app picks up when a police officer switches on a device in their car during a chase and sends out an alert.
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Around 35,000 police chases currently take place each year in America, according to the designers, and it is hoped the app will help reduce the number of casualties caused by them.
They pointed out that there are warning systems for natural disasters such as tornadoes, but not for pursuits – which kill more Americans annually than most forces of nature combined.
Tim Morgan and his wife Trish developed the technology, with the goal of limiting “the devastation and loss caused by deadly pursuits”, according to the website.
It continues: “Their goal is to have this simple notification system, that is free to the public, save innocent bystanders from injury or death, preventing them from becoming a statistic that on average occurs every day in this country.”
After the pursuit has ended, another notification will come through advising drivers to proceed with caution.
The technology capable of alerting the app is yet to be placed in every US police car, however, so it might be some time before it can function effectively nationwide.
