Vehicle Accident Detection and Location Alert

Problem statement

In many road accidents there is a long delay before help arrives because there is no automatic system to detect the accident and send accurate location details.

Abstract

The vehicle accident detection system uses an accelerometer or vibration sensor to detect a sudden impact. A microcontroller checks the signal and, if a crash is detected, obtains GPS coordinates and sends SMS alerts to emergency contacts using a GSM module. A buzzer and cancel button allow the driver to abort false alarms.

Components required

• Microcontroller (Arduino or similar)
• Accelerometer or vibration sensor
• GPS module
• GSM module with SIM card
• Buzzer and status LEDs
• Push button for reset or cancel
• Power supply from vehicle battery

Block diagram

Working

During normal motion the accelerometer readings stay below a limit. The microcontroller samples the sensor values and when acceleration exceeds a crash threshold it assumes an accident. It reads the current GPS coordinates and waits a few seconds for the cancel button. If not cancelled, it formats a text message with location and sends it via GSM to stored phone numbers.

Applications

• Cars, bikes and college buses
• Fleet vehicles and trucks
• Student transport monitoring
• Research on intelligent transport systems