How does crash detection work?

Crash Detection is a feature available on our Greenlight Infinity and Greenlight Family Shield plans.

Click here to learn how to upgrade your account!

How does crash detection work?

When Crash Detection is enabled, the Greenlight app uses your phone’s built-in sensors to monitor your drives — either as the driver or a passenger. If it picks up signs of a potential car crash, like a sudden stop or significant impact, the app steps in to help.

For a crash to be detected, the vehicle must be traveling at least 10 mph. This means minor bumps, like fender-benders or getting lightly rear-ended, typically won’t trigger Crash Detection.

Want to set up Crash Detection in your app? Click here to learn how!

What happens if Greenlight thinks a crash occurred?

If a crash is detected, here's what happens next:

1. The user involved in the collision will get a time-sensitive push notification and text, asking if they were in a crash and prompting them to confirm.
   
   If the user responds confirming they were not in a crash, Greenlight will cancel the alert to emergency dispatch services.

2. If the user confirms they were in a crash or don’t respond within 30 seconds, Greenlight will alert emergency dispatch and send help to their location.
3. After 3 minutes, if the user hasn’t responded or confirmed the crash, Greenlight will also notify the emergency contacts listed in their Greenlight family — sharing the possible crash location.

What needs to be in place for Crash Detection to work?

For Crash Detection to successfully detect and respond to a crash, a few conditions need to be met:

• ‘Crash Detection’ must be turned on in the Greenlight app
• Your phone’s location permission must be set to “Always”, not “While in Use”
• Your phone must:
  • Have a strong cellular signal
  • Have at least 20% battery life
  • Not be in power-saving mode
• The vehicle must:
  • Be moving at a sustained speed of 10 mph or more
  • Travel at least 0.2 miles at that speed before a crash
  • Come to a sudden and complete stop after the crash

If your phone battery drops below 20%, Greenlight will alert you that Crash Detection is no longer enabled.

Please note, even if all the criteria above are met, Greenlight may not detect all major collisions due to network outages, error with the sensor on the mobile device, availability of GPS location data, and crash location outside of a wireless service coverage area, etc.