Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

How British cops used a drone to save a car crash victim’s life

As drone technology continues to improve, an increasing number of law enforcement agencies are finding uses for the diminutive flying machines in their everyday work.

And it’s saving people’s lives.

Recommended Videos

Take this recent case in the U.K. Following overnight reports of a man wandering away from a flipped car on an isolated road south of Grimsby some 130 miles north of London, the local police department deployed its drone to search for the driver.

The moment our #thermal #drone found a hypothermic man in a 6’ deep ditch 160m from his crashed car in the pitch dark tonight. Casualty conveyed to hospital. Thanks to @WoldsSgt for the request that may well have saved his life. pic.twitter.com/LwrPnBVj6H

— Lincolnshire Police Drones (@LincsCOPter) February 25, 2018

It was a freezing cold evening, and the cops knew that if they couldn’t find the man quickly, he could die from hypothermia.

While some officers searched the immediate area on foot, the drone flew around the crash site to see if its thermal imaging camera could pinpoint the vehicle’s owner.

After a short while, the drone pilot located the man about 160 meters from the car and directed officers to his precise position. He was found “unconscious and hypothermic” in a six-foot-deep ditch, and would likely have died but for the search team’s quick work, aided by the drone and its thermal imaging camera.

Without drone technology, the cops could have received help from the U.K.’s National Police Air Service, but the quadcopter was likely able to reach the scene far more quickly, and at a fraction of the cost of a helicopter.

Police in the U.K. are making growing use of drones for their work. Another police department in the south of the country in 2017 became the first to launch a 24-hour drone unit. The equipment currently includes DJI Inspire drones with powerful thermal imaging and zoom cameras attached. DJI’s smaller Mavic drone is also part of its equipment.  The gear is used for a range of jobs, including helping with missing person searches, gathering images from crime scenes and major traffic accidents, and taking part in coastal and woodland searches to fight wildlife crime.

In the southwest of France, police are using the remotely controlled flying machines to catch dangerous drivers, while cops in Japan have them on standby to catch rogue drones flying in restricted airspace.

In the U.S., meanwhile, around 350 agencies, among them police and fire departments, have incorporated the technology into their work as of 2017. Uses include search and rescue, investigating active shooters and suspects, crime scene analysis, surveillance, and crowd monitoring.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the $7,500 tax credit
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

After a brief and confusing absence, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is once again eligible for the full $7,500 federal tax credit — and this time, it's sticking around (at least for now). So, what happened? Let’s unpack the ride.

The Ioniq 5, a sleek and tech-savvy electric crossover, initially made headlines not just for its design, but for being built at Hyundai’s brand-new Metaplant in Georgia. That domestic assembly qualified it for the EV tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which requires vehicles to be made in North America with batteries sourced from trade-friendly countries. But early in 2025, the Ioniq 5 vanished from the list. Why? Likely due to its battery packs, which were then still being sourced from SK On’s Hungarian facility.

Read more
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

Read more
Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

Read more