Chronic
The number of false alarms generated by smart watches has recently decreased. Many of these watches can automatically send an emergency call in the event of strong shocks. Police say the use of this technology has proven successful.
Electronic watches can make recreational sports such as mountaineering or skiing safer. They can detect falls and automatically trigger a rescue chain in an emergency, which can save lives. However, they can also trigger false alarms and thus keep emergency services unnecessarily busy. The State Police Control Center clearly felt the impact of the introduction of the smartwatch, as rescue and emergency services were repeatedly alerted for no reason.
According to the police, the original problems related to this matter have now diminished. The number of false alarms caused by smart watches is decreasing. People are becoming more aware of the consequences that a false alarm can have.
A four-hour search
However, there are still some cases of false alarms issued by smart watches. In January, an unanswered emergency call from a smartwatch sparked a massive search at the Silvretta-Montavon ski area. Emergency services searched for a man for four hours. The supposed emergency turned out to be a false alarm and the man was eventually found unharmed at his residence.
Dash: View smart watch settings
There were a number of false alarms, especially in early 2023, after which police flagged the problem and advised checking the smartwatch's emergency settings. Many watches have a button that the wearer can use to prevent the rescue chain from being activated after a fall. You should also evaluate whether you need fall detection during activity and turn it on or off accordingly.
