‘Automatic SOS’ to be fitted to all new vans

10th June 2015

The European Parliament has approved a new regulation that will make eCall, the European emergency call system, mandatory for new types of cars and vans.

It is designed to help ambulance crews get to road accidents faster, and vehicle manufacturers will have to install the technology in all new car and van models from 31 March 2018 onward.

eCall is activated automatically as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious crash.  Once set off, the system dials the European emergency number 112, establishes a telephone link to the appropriate emergency call centre and sends details of the accident to the rescue services.

The information includes the type of vehicle, fuel used, time of incident, position of the crashed vehicle and direction of travel. An eCall can also be triggered manually by pushing a button in the car, for example by a witness to a serious accident.

MEPs believe the new system could save around 2,500 lives a year – 10% of the current total of fatalities – while the European Commission has estimated that emergency response times could be cut by 60% in urban areas and 50% in the countryside.

The UK government has objected to the plans, however. Quoted on the BBC website, UK Transport Minister Claire Perry said "the benefit of making eCall mandatory in all new cars and vans does not justify the cost of implementing it. We do not support the measure, because it is not cost-effective for us."