It’s happened to all of us at some point. You’re driving down the highway in your Chevrolet Camaro, casually minding your own business while passing much slower cars going the speed limit, weaving back and forth as necessary to avoid a crash because, you know, you’re responsible like that. Suddenly you see strange lights behind you, and then some in front of you, and then blamo, some crazy cop car spins you out. Later on at the police station, you discover you were actually in the middle of a high-speed chase – and you didn’t even know about it.

Okay, perhaps that’s not entirely accurate. This scenario could easily apply to a Ford Mustang driver rolling down the highway after hitting numerous bystanders outside a car show, or a shirtless individual driving a lifted Ram pickup truck through a field. Perhaps if these folks had the PursuitAlert app on their phone, they would’ve pulled over before the friendly officers yanked them through the side window.

Kidding aside, PursuitAlert is a smartphone app that is very real, and it has the potential to save lives. In short, it sends out notifications to anyone with the app on their phone when a high-speed chase is two miles away or less. It may seem improbable that a driver wouldn’t notice a stream of lights approaching, but in reality, a high-speed chase can take people completely by surprise. That’s especially true at busy intersections where cross traffic has absolutely no idea a speeding bad guy is approaching a red light without any intention of stopping. A quick notification from PursuitAlert could help innocent drivers avoid a potentially deadly crash.

The system is now active with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Department in South Carolina, the first law enforcement agency to adopt PursuitAlert. The company behind the system was founded in 2016 and hopes to expand the service to other areas around the United States. The app is a free download for iPhone and Android users and is available through PursuitAlert.com

Source: PursuitAlert