Low battery, unreliable network? This trick can save your life

Have you ever found yourself lost in the wilderness or had your car break down, far from anywhere, with only 3% battery left? The situation can quickly become distressing. It becomes even more so if the mobile network is unstable. How can you alert emergency services if calling or sending a text message is a real challenge? A simple reflex can make all the difference.

If you can no longer actively communicate, transform your voicemail message into an alert message. This tip is brought to light by Ariane Abitbol, police commander at the Central Directorate of Public Security in Paris, based on advice from the Dordogne Gendarmerie.

Concretely, what should you do?

To make your voicemail a real beacon, make sure that your answering machine indicates:

• The exact time and date of your recording
• Your geographical position, even approximate (road, place, direction taken)
• The reason for your emergency (breakdown, injury, lost, accident)
• Your intentions (stay in place, try to reach a specific location)

A real message in a bottle 2.0

The effectiveness of this method lies in its simplicity, because anyone trying to reach you (a worried loved one, a colleague, your family ...) will hear this information directly and can alert emergency services if necessary. This updated message then becomes a relay to alert emergency services (112, 15, 17, 18) and provide them with valuable details to speed up your location and care.

While this technique proves valuable as a last resort, the police commander also reiterates the importance of taking precautions. The original post insists: "always inform a loved one of your itinerary and planned times before going on an excursion 😉". A simple tip which, coupled with this messaging tip, maximizes your chances in the event of an unforeseen event. Proof that your answering machine may be more useful than you think.

For our part, we would also advise you to always travel with an external battery. It is also possible to use the location tools integrated into Android and Apple systems (or a third-party application) to find a loved one.