Motorists have been warned that their mobile phones will sound an emergency siren within weeks.
A 10-second loud bang will be sent to all mobile phones on Sunday 23 April as part of a nationwide test to warn Britons of life-threatening situations – a system announced last month by Cabinet minister Oliver Dowden.
But there were fears that this siren would cause chaos on the roads, as drivers could be distracted by the warning and cause an accident.
And experts fear the ‘lifeline’ phones of domestic violence victims will be discovered by partners as a result of the warning, while football stadiums could descend into chaos.
In response to these concerns, discussions have been held with the transport industry, domestic violence charities and sports officials, as well as police, fire and ambulance services about the process.
People who know they will be in the car for that time have the option to disable the alert by going into their phone’s settings and denying the option to receive the explosive sound.
But if you keep it on, you don’t have to take any action other than hitting ‘ok’ to get their phone working again
Some domestic violence victims who use “lifeline” phones, which are hidden from their abusers, could be put in danger if the siren detects their devices.
Meanwhile, the Football Association has requested that the warning not be sent during the televised FA Cup semi-final.
With the introduction of this alert – which has been over a decade in the making – at the end of the month, people’s phones will flash and make very loud noises.
It will ping even if your device is on silent.
It is designed to alert people to dangerous life-threatening events such as wildfires, floods or earthquakes, as ministers hope it will help spread messages like this to everyone much faster.
Officials have met with motorists’ organization RAC to discuss how drivers can reduce risks to avoid car accidents caused by the warning.
Regardless, safety campaigners have warned the siren could distract drivers, with the AA’s president questioning the decision.
Edmund King has said that there are many inexperienced drivers on the road on a Sunday and this can cause ‘panic’ in the streets.
This despite reports that the report will come in the evening as it is expected that the roads will be less busy than usual.
He said: ‘If they have the phone in the car and there’s a strange noise, there could be some form of panic.
“Even with a hands-free system, the strange sound could mean they’re reaching for the phone.
“So there’s no doubt there’s a threat of distraction for some drivers.”
In the run-up to the test, highway signs will be used to warn motorists not to check or use their phones.
And ministers have approved a major publicity campaign to advise the public about the siren.
It was feared that this siren would cause chaos on the roads, as drivers could be distracted by the warning and cause an accident. This is because it is illegal to hold and use a cell phone while driving
Fortunately, people who know they’ll be in the car that time have the option to disable the alert by going into their phone’s settings and denying the option to receive the explosive sound.
But if you keep it on, you don’t have to take any action other than hitting “ok” to get their phone working again.
However, it is illegal to hold and use a mobile phone while driving – and those caught doing so could receive a six-point penalty and a £200 fine.
Although it is to be hoped that people heed the warning as it alerts people to potentially life-threatening situations.
The warning has already been implemented in parts of Europe, the US, Canada and Japan. It can also be used to warn people of ongoing terror attacks.
A test of the service in the UK has already been carried out on East Suffolk and Reading.
But British officials have acknowledged there is a need for more information on the kind of alerts that would be sent out if the government eventually used the system to warn of attacks or dangerous situations.
How do I turn off the notification?
If you have an iPhone, go to your notification settings and turn off both “Extreme Alerts” and “Severe Alerts.”
Android users have it even easier as they only need to turn off “Wireless emergency alerts” in their notification settings.
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