This week emergency services, including Henley on Thames Fire Station, and the AA are calling on the public to be prepared ahead of their adventures this summer by downloading a free and potentially life-saving location app.
The app is called What3words provides a simple way to communicate precise locations and is used by over 85 per cent of the UK’s emergency services.
Research by Opinion Matters on behalf of what3words shows that 9 in 10 Brits are looking to enjoy the outdoors, and nearly half are planning to explore new locations around the UK this summer.
The research also identified that nearly a quarter of 16-24 year olds will be heading to festivals, but concerningly, only 39 per cent expressed confidence in being able to describe their location to someone and arrange a meet up point.
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Additionally, over half of respondents said they would rely on their phone’s GPS to help find their way back if they got lost during outdoor activities, yet less than half make sure they have enough phone battery before heading out, and only 27 per cent pack a portable charger.
This is cause for concern given 1 in 4 (27 per cent) Brits have got lost during an outdoor excursion before.
Emergency call takers cannot accept shared pins, and aren’t always able to automatically detect a caller’s exact location, although 40 per cent of Brits assumed they could.
what3words has created a simple way to communicate very precise locations, by dividing the world into a grid of three metre squares, and given each square a unique identifier consisting of three words.
The app works offline meaning users can use it in areas with an unreliable data connection, such as popular summer destinations like festivals, beaches, national parks and campsites.
what3words is available in over 60 languages to date and is free to download on iOS and Android.
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What3words is also used by the AA to enable faster incident response, with hundreds of AA members using the technology to communicate the precise location of breakdowns every day.
Chris Wood, AA Patrol of the Year, said: “With summer event season in full swing, downloading what3words can provide peace of mind in so many situations – whether you need to find your tent in a campsite, meet up with a friend at a busy festival, or your car breaks down on a road with no markers to describe your surroundings.
"Drivers can reduce the risk of a summer breakdown by preparing their car before travelling, including making sure you have enough fuel or electric charge, checking tyre conditions and pressure, and packing essentials like water in case there are delays.”
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