Vehicle crash

The European Parliament has voted for new rules, under which all new models of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles will be equipped with emergency call devices by 31 March 2018.

The devices, which alert rescue services to car crashes (eCall) automatically, are expected to reduce the death toll in the EU by an estimated 10% a year.

Czech Social Democrat MEP Olga Sehnalova said: "Deploying the 112-based eCall in-vehicle emergency system across the EU will help to improve road safety in all 28 member states.

"eCall as a public service, free of charge for all citizens, irrespective of the type of vehicle or its purchase price, will contribute to this common goal."

"Deploying the 112-based eCall in-vehicle emergency system across the EU will help to improve road safety in all 28 member states."

By using 112 emergency call technology, the eCall in-vehicle system will alert the emergency services to serious road accidents automatically.

Following the alert, the services will be able to decide immediately on the required type and size of rescue operation and arrive faster to save lives and reduce the severity of injuries, while reducing the cost of traffic jams.

Under the new rules, which have set out obligations for car manufacturers, the alert will give basic minimum data, such as the vehicle type, the fuel used, the accident time, the exact location and the number of passengers, to the emergency services.

The new rules prohibit transferring of eCall data gathered by emergency centres or their service partners to third parties without explicit consent of the person concerned.

In addition, it is the responsibility of manufacturers to make sure that the eCall technology design permits complete and permanent deletion of such data.

Image: The eCall in-vehicle system uses emergency call technology to alert the emergency services to serious road accidents. Photo: Bill Longshaw via freedigitalphotos.net.