Hitting the road this holiday? Doing the diligent traveller thing and taking every precaution? Then you’ll be super interested in the new app from the Automobile Association (AA) of South Africa.

The AA Rescue app (available for iOS, Android, and BlackBerry) gives users a single button to get them some help in an emergency. Registration for the service is free – even for those who aren’t members of the AA – and users’ online profiles can be used to store additional information for medical aid details and other emergency contacts.

The app itself has two buttons: the eponymous rescue button, and one for configuring minor settings. There’s also a notice on the app’s main screen urging users not to tap the rescue button to test it. This results in a ticket being logged in the system, and an agent will have to call to confirm what the emergency is. Basically, think of it as making a call to any emergency service: don’t bog down the service with useless requests, in case others actually need it.

Users who don’t have smartphones can still register for the service by dialling *120*22000#. The AA recommends saving this number as an emergency contact to make it quicker to access. Sending a rescue request this way will result in a phone call where an operator gets location details of the incident.