BMW Motorrad has developed an intelligent emergency call (eCall) system for its motorcycle range to quickly help get help for riders in an emergency.

This will be an optional feature in the BMW bikes that will be rolled out in 2017.

When the system is activated, it sends out GPS position coordinates of the motorcycle accident site directly to a BMW Call Centre, with operatives then able to speak to the rider.

Intelligent Emergency Call considers several scenarios into account. If it is a serious accident, the eCall automatically gets automatically activated and the message is sent to the BMW Call Centre, which deals with the accident victim via audio connection until the emergency service arrives.

"Help is sent to the location, even if there is no response from the rider."

Help is sent to the location, even if there is no response from the rider. A display in the instrument cluster and an acoustic signal indicate that eCall has been initiated. In such a scenario, the rider cannot cancel the emergency call.

In a minor collision, eCall is triggered after 25 seconds. The rider will have the option to cancel the emergency call if no help is required. If the rider does not cancel, then rescue chain gets initiated.

Furthermore, vehicle sensors would be able detect the severity of the collision or crash. The intelligent emergency call is only triggered automatically if real emergency situations are detected.

Rough but normal usage such as riding over potholes or even off-road riding do not lead to an automatic activation.

eCall can also be triggered manually when the motorcycle is stationary with the ignition on.

Initially, this optional feature will be rolled-out in Germany first and then introduced to other European markets.