Emergency calls device fitted in all new cars from Spring 2018

Emergency call devices that automatically alert rescue services to car crashes – known as eCall) – will have to be fitted to all new car and light van models by 31st March, 2018 under rules voted on by the European Parliament.

Road accidents claimed 25,700 lives in the European Union last year – a death toll that the new devices could cut by an estimated 10% a year, it is claimed.

“Deploying the 112-based eCall in-vehicle emergency system across the European Union will help to improve road safety in all 28 member states. The European Parliament has repeatedly stressed that reducing deaths and the severity of injuries on the roads is its priority. 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.”

The eCall in-vehicle system uses 112 emergency call technology to alert the emergency services to serious road accidents automatically. That enables them to decide immediately on the type and size of rescue operation needed, which in turn helps them to arrive faster, save lives, reduce the severity of injuries and cut the cost of traffic jams.

MEPs strengthened the draft law’s data protection clause to preclude tracking of eCall-equipped vehicle before the accident occurs. Under the new rules, the automatic call will give the emergency services only basic minimum data, such as the type of vehicle, the fuel used, the time of the accident, the exact location and the number of passengers.

The rules say eCall data gathered by emergency centres or their service partners must not be transferred to third parties without explicit consent of the person concerned. Manufacturers will also have to ensure that the eCall technology design permits full and permanent deletion of data gathered.

MEPs also secured an obligation for the European Commission to assess, in the three years after spring 2018, whether eCall devices should be included in other vehicles, such as buses, coaches or trucks.

Separate rules, governing the infrastructure that European Union member states must put in place by 1st October 2017 to process eCalls, entered into to force at the end of June 2014.

Article from ACFO.