Who Knew Porsche Was So Helpful? Test Driving H.E.L.P. Disabled Car Safety Alerts
Not long ago I was driving on the freeway in Los Angeles and a notification popped up on the multimedia screen: Disabled car ahead.
The message dominated the screen for more than a few seconds, long enough for me to see it and look for the disabled vehicle on the side of the road.
I looked up and there it was, a disabled car pulled over on the shoulder, its emergency flashers on. I drove past it so quickly I don’t remember what type of car it was, or even what color. Just that it was on the side of the road and I knew to move by cautiously.
By the time I looked back at the screen, the message was gone. But I was grateful. I’d just seen ESS’s H.E.L.P. system at work in the wild. Not a test, not a testament, not theory, but a real, in-person experience with this new life-saving technology.
This story is 100% human researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks.
H.E.L.P. Is On the Way Via a New Disabled Car Notification System
If you’ve followed the news you’ve probably heard about this new notification system from ESS called H.E.L.P. The company created a software-driven notification system that alerts other drivers on the road when you’ve pulled over and put your flashers on. The system can also flash your car’s emergency flashers at a much higher speed and with increased brightness.
H.E.L.P.’s 2-way system has just rolled out in VW models and is even being updated in some older models. Cars with the software update can both detect disabled cars on the road and send a message to other cars that have the software and can receive the message.
I was driving a Porsche Macan, a VW family brand, when I saw the message flash on the media screen. H.E.L.P.’s tech was new in VW’s vehicles, so it was a fun moment to see it at work in the Porsche, too.
Read: Driver Assist and Safety Features, or ADAS, Detailed By the Most Popular Car Brands
Stellantis and Other Car Brands are H.E.L.P. Assisted
But even if you don’t drive a VW you can still benefit from the H.E.L.P. system: the company is on track to roll out the software across the industry. Right now the vehicle detection system is installed on more than 3 million cars and SUVs from Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Chrysler, as well as Telsa’s models.
Just a few days before I had my impromptu H.E.L.P. demonstration on highway, I took a test spin with the ESS team to see how the system works.
Our drive started in a VW Jetta and continued later in a Jeep Wrangler that came from the car rental counter at the airport. With no extra installing, cueing up or other machinations, the system just plain worked. As we drove through a neighborhood in Pasadena, a notification popped up on the media screen to show us that a disabled car was ahead.
Read: How to Have a Flat Tire and Not Ruin Your Day – Starting With Roadside Assistance
Where is That Siren Coming From???
This one always strikes terror in my heart: I can hear the siren but I can’t tell where it’s coming from. Behind me? On a side street? About to cross my path? Or is it coming from the other direction?
The H.E.L.P. system has this one covered, too. When an emergency vehicle is headed your way, a notification lets you know so you can pull over and let them pass. We got to see this work during our test drive; not with an emergency vehicle but a car that was standing in for one.
Related: Driver Assist and Safety Features, or ADAS, Broken Down by Brand
Need Help? H.E.L.P. Is There For You
This might be the best use, however, which we also got to test out on our drive: the emergency flasher-triggered H.E.L.P. assistance.
We pulled over and tapped the emergency flashers. A notification popped up on the screen asking if we needed assistance. I love this. I could have tapped yes and the system would let emergency services know my car was disabled and I needed help. It would also send out a notification to other H.E.L.P. enabled cars to let them know my car was disabled on the shoulder. Of course I tapped “no” because we didn’t need help, but wow, what a great feature to have in your car.
H.E.L.P. Works on All Screens: Google, Apple, Waze or … the Radio Station
This one really impressed me: H.E.L.P. notifications are designed to integrate with all maps and screens on the multimedia system. We saw it work with Google, WAZE and the radio. It’s best integrated with map systems however. WAZE, for example, displays notifications a half mile from the disabled vehicle, while VW’s notifications that pop up on the media screen are timed; they last for 20 seconds so you have plenty of time to see them no matter how fast you’re going.
Which is what happened when I saw the H.E.L.P. notification pop up in the Porsche; it lasted as I approach the car, then disappeared. And I was glad; it didn’t obscure my view but it let me know that I needed to slow down and move over for a disabled car on the road.
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