‘Insuring your future‘ is a four-part series exploring how technology is working to keep you safe as you make your way through the world. In this, the second article in the series, we look at how a variety of technologies are coming together to ensure that your holidays are as safe as possible.
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Going on holiday: it’s that elusive point in the distance that most office workers, and pretty much every school kid, spends months looking forward to. It’s a break from your day-to-day routine and a chance to reset and unwind. It is, in short, good for you. But you’re not going to reap those benefits if you feel that you and your family aren’t safe.
Being properly insured through a provider like Santam is a good start, but there’s also a slew of emerging technologies coming together to ensure that you’re as safe as possible both on your way to and from your holiday and during the actual trip.
Getting there
Every year around Easter and Christmas holidays, thousands of South Africans make their way to holiday destinations around the country. That extra traffic unfortunately brings with it a spike in accidents.
Thankfully, technology is helping change that.
Over the years, car makers have done much ensure that roads are safer places for everyone using them. Just as the cars we drive today are safer (in many cases by orders of magnitude) than the ones from a couple of decades ago, so cars of the near future will be even less likely to be involved in accidents. Ford and Honda for instance both recently joined a growing number of manufacturers who now include pedestrian-detecting technology in their cars. Using a combination of camera and radar sensors, cars built by these manufacturers will automatically brake if they sense you’re about to hit a pedestrian.
Volvo meanwhile is working on a host of new safety technologies. In fact, it’s got some pretty lofty aims in that regard.
There’s also serious work being done on making road surfaces safer. One notable effort from Dutch company Studio Roosegaarde and Heijmans Infrastructure entails the road telling you about the weather conditions, or changing its markings according to how much traffic there is.
The same company is also working on roads that glow and have lights that only turn on when you drive past.
Arrive alive, stay alive
Once you’ve arrived at your destination, there’s every chance you’ll want to kick back and have a drink. But what if you want to go out afterwards? Well once self-driving cars become common enough, that won’t be a problem. Until that day comes though, you might have to satisfy yourself with using a smartphone-connected breathalyser and waiting until you’re clear or, if its available where you are, summoning a private car or cab.
Keeping an eye on the kids
Anyone who has kids will tell you that figuring out how to treat them on holiday can be a tricky affair. On one hand you want them to feel free and have fun and on the other you just want them to be safe.
There are already a couple of smartwatches on the market designed to allow you to track your children.
It’s obviously early days for the technology right now, but there’s very definitely potential for it to hit the mass market in the near future.
Until everyone’s child is running around with a tracking device though, there are other risks that emerging technologies can help mitigate. A group of American teenagers for instance have developed a T-Shirt to help prevent toddlers from drowning. It’s useful if you have a pool at home, but doubly so if you’re going to be holidaying near the ocean or a large lake.
Sending out an SOS
Of course, not everyone likes to spend their holidays relaxing quietly on a beach. Some prefer to use their time off for adventures in remote corners of the planet. Luxury watch maker Breitling has catered to such people for some time now, with time pieces that summon an emergency team at the push of a button. But now that kind of technology is becoming more readily available, with the functionality making its way onto both smartphones and smart watches.
But what about your home
None of these technologies matter even a little if, at the end of your holiday, you return to a home that’s been ransacked. Hiring a house-sitter can give you some peace of mind, but with a spare connected tablet or two and the right apps, you can set up a DIY home monitoring system fairly easily.
Be Safe
If you want added peace of mind without having to spend extra money, download the new Santam App with Be Safe. If you’re traveling, you’ll be able to nominate guardians to watch over you on your way to your holiday destination and your return journey home. Once you’ve started your trip, they will securely be sent the relevant details, including your start and end points and how long you expect to get from one to the other. You can nominate Guardians from your phone’s contacts and they don’t even need a smartphone to follow you, as SMS alerts are sent out. You can also use it if you and your family want peace of mind during your holiday activities. And if there is an incident, the app’s reporting features mean that you can report it easily and efficiently, allowing you to get on with your holiday. The app is available for download on iOS and Android.
