ST. LOUIS — A new, free alert system could soon let drivers know if a first responder is headed their way. The technology was invented in Saint Louis and is currently being tested by four area police departments.
The MakeWay Safety alert system to warn drivers when there is a police chase, a traffic stop, or other emergency response nearby. Police in St. Louis City and County, St. Charles County, and Jefferson County are participating in the beta test of the Makeway app. Each department has five squad cars equipped with the technology, which is activated automatically when their emergency lights are turned on. If a user has the Makeway safety app, they’ll get an alert if they are in a moving vehicle nearby. The alert even tells you if the emergency vehicle is coming up from behind to your right or left sides, or up ahead.
Mike Walsh is the mastermind behind MakeWay Safety Technologies. He wanted to make it easier for drivers to know when a first responder is headed toward them, as well as allow those first responders to get to scenes quicker and save more lives.
“There’s a lot of things going on in our lives that we think about when driving a car,” Walsh explained, “The technology is intended to disrupt that distraction. Bring your attention back to the roadway, and bring your attention back to the most important screen which is our windshield.”
Walsh says he hopes to eventually have the program come already equipped on phones, similar to amber alerts. Saint Louis County Police Sergeant Tracy Panus says the app also keeps her officers safe if they are pulled over on a traffic stop or crash. “If we are on a traffic stop, that will alert a motorist, so it is a public safety help for both us and the motorist.”
The beta test will last through summer. The goal is to make the app free to the public soon.