Vehicle impact detection system

A method for notifying a remote facility of a vehicle accident, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a system comprising a plurality of impact sensors at multiple locations around the vehicle;
• storing the multiple locations of the impact sensors when the vehicle is in a stationary position to provide a library of stationary locations of the plurality of impact sensors, each impact sensor of the plurality of impact sensors having an associated stationary location in the library;
• determining a post-impact location of each impact sensor in the event of an impact;
• determining if any sensor has been displaced from the associated stationary location as a result of the impact;
• determining a severity of the impact by calculating the extent of displacement of each impact sensor from the associated stationary location;
• and
• automatically informing the remote facility that there has been an accident if it is determined that the extent of displacement as a result of the impact is greater than a threshold amount;
• and
• each impact sensor configured to communicate with at least one of the other impact sensors and the step of determining if any impact sensor has been displaced from the associated stationary location on impact includes the step of creating a communication path between an impact sensor and at least one of the other impact sensors thereby to determine the post-impact location of each impact sensor as a result of the impact and using the library of locations to compare the post-impact location of each impact sensor with the associated stationary location to determine an extent of displacement and if the extent of displacement exceeds a threshold value automatically informing the remote facility.