Hit and run: Own car ratted out 18-year-old driver after crash

Created: 04/05/2022 13:51

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

An 18-year-old built an accident on a federal highway in Rhineland-Palatinate - and just drove away.

But her emergency call system betrayed her to the police.

Hettenleidelheim – Countless accidents happen every day – unfortunately, those who caused them sometimes just make off: A transporter driver in Cologne started a strange escape action after several crashes, and in Hilden a drunk Volvo driver fled by taxi after he rammed the car of a mother with her 2-year-old daughter in it.

And sometimes crash drivers just leave a note - as in this case a rather curious note.

The police usually track down the fugitives in the "conventional" way - but an 18-year-old driver was now doomed by the technology installed in her vehicle.

After an escape from an accident, the police tracked down the 18-year-old driver thanks to the emergency call system in their car.

(Iconic image) © Addictive Stock/Imago

Hit and run: Own car ratted out 18-year-old driver after crash

The so-called eCall system has been mandatory in new vehicles in the European Union since 2018.

The abbreviation stands for "Emergency Call" and automatically alerts the rescue control center in the event of a serious accident - some manufacturers also install their own emergency call systems.

This technology is actually supposed to save lives – it now causes a lot of trouble for an 18-year-old driver.

18-year-old rams a delineator with her car – and escapes

As the police report, an 18-year-old came off the road with her car on the B47 near Hettenleidelheim (Rhineland-Palatinate) for reasons that are still unclear and rammed a delineator.

However, instead of reporting the accident, the 18-year-old fled.

What she apparently did not know, however, was that an automatic accident emergency call system was installed in her vehicle from a "well-known car manufacturer".

You can find even more exciting automotive topics in the free newsletter, which you can subscribe to right here.

18-year-old crashes and flees – the vehicle's emergency call system puts the police on her trail

Because the impact was a little more violent, the technology installed in the car reported the accident to a control center.

And because the system could not establish contact with the driver, a police patrol was sent to the scene of the accident.

When officers got there, however, there was no sign of a car that had been involved in an accident.

However, the officials quickly found out about the accident driver: According to the ADAC, the eCall technology not only transmits the time of the accident and the vehicle's position, but also the 17-digit vehicle identification number (VIN), among other things.

Thus, the owner of the vehicle is quickly identified.

In this case, too, the officials quickly tracked down the 18-year-old.

She is now awaiting criminal prosecution for hit and run.