CrashDetech: The app that could save your life in a car crash

By Sophie Eastaugh, for CNN

Updated 1146 GMT (1946 HKT) August 8, 2016

CrashDetech is a smartphone app that detects the impact of road accidents, pinpoints your location and calls an agent who will dispatch the nearest emergency vehicle. By reducing waiting times, it hopes to save lives.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
African tech – CrashDetech is a smartphone app that detects the impact of road accidents, pinpoints your location and calls an agent who will dispatch the nearest emergency vehicle. By reducing waiting times, it hopes to save lives.
Hide Caption
1 of 15
The product is the brainchild of Johannesburg- based entrepreneur, Jaco Gerritts (center) and his team.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
The product is the brainchild of Johannesburg- based entrepreneur, Jaco Gerritts (center) and his team.
Hide Caption
2 of 15
Crashdetech is just the latest in a long line of African tech solutions hoping to make an impact on the continent.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
Crashdetech is just the latest in a long line of African tech solutions hoping to make an impact on the continent.
Hide Caption
3 of 15
BRCK is a blackbox described by its Kenyan makers as "a backup generator for the internet," with the aim of solving Africa's connectivity issues. In Africa, there are power outages on a daily basis so getting online and staying online a requires a device that can seamlessly switch between multiple networks.<br />
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
BRCK is a blackbox described by its Kenyan makers as "a backup generator for the internet," with the aim of solving Africa's connectivity issues. In Africa, there are power outages on a daily basis so getting online and staying online a requires a device that can seamlessly switch between multiple networks.
Hide Caption
4 of 15
Since 2013, BRCK has sold over 2,500 devices in 54 countries -- most notably in India. It also secured $3 million in funding at the beginning of 2016.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
Since 2013, BRCK has sold over 2,500 devices in 54 countries -- most notably in India. It also secured $3 million in funding at the beginning of 2016.
Hide Caption
5 of 15
The Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) app allows healthcare professionals to conduct eye examinations using a smartphone app. It has already been tested on thousands of people in rural Kenya. There are 39 million blind people globally, and in low-income countries, 80% of blindness is curable.<br />
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
The Portable Eye Examination Kit (Peek) app allows healthcare professionals to conduct eye examinations using a smartphone app. It has already been tested on thousands of people in rural Kenya. There are 39 million blind people globally, and in low-income countries, 80% of blindness is curable.
Hide Caption
6 of 15
Technology founder , Dr. Andrew Bastawrous, hopes the app can replace traditional hospital equipment, which is often bulky, expensive and fragile. Building up local teams, Bastawrous has also worked with village leaders in Kenya to train examiners at a low cost.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
Technology founder , Dr. Andrew Bastawrous, hopes the app can replace traditional hospital equipment, which is often bulky, expensive and fragile. Building up local teams, Bastawrous has also worked with village leaders in Kenya to train examiners at a low cost.
Hide Caption
7 of 15
Snapscan is a mobile payments system that allows people to make payments with their mobile phone by simply taking a photo of a QR code and punching in the amount they want to pay.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
Snapscan is a mobile payments system that allows people to make payments with their mobile phone by simply taking a photo of a QR code and punching in the amount they want to pay.
Hide Caption
8 of 15
Not dissimilar to Apple Pay, the system was being used by 12,000 small businesses as far back as 2014 and has been one of the most successful apps to come out of South Africa in recent years.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
Not dissimilar to Apple Pay, the system was being used by 12,000 small businesses as far back as 2014 and has been one of the most successful apps to come out of South Africa in recent years.
Hide Caption
9 of 15
Riders from Sendy's fleet of bike couriers. The Kenya-based start-up offers an Uber-style motorbike delivery service that gives customers the power to track where their delivery is in real-time via an app.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
Riders from Sendy's fleet of bike couriers. The Kenya-based start-up offers an Uber-style motorbike delivery service that gives customers the power to track where their delivery is in real-time via an app.
Hide Caption
10 of 15
A screengrab from the Sendy app shows what the courier tracking system looks like.
Photos: 7 African tech companies you need to know about
A screengrab from the Send