More countries back eCall car safety device

Published: 5 May 2010 y., Wednesday

Automobiliai
The idea of equipping cars with an automatic SOS system is catching on in Europe.

Seven more European governments have endorsed the EU’s campaign to equip new cars with a device that would automatically call for help in the event of an accident.

Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Luxemburg, Malta, Poland and Romania are the latest to sign a non-binding agreement with the commission to deploy eCall, the in-car emergency call system.

Their pledge brings to 25 the number of European countries now committed to launching the system. This includes non-EU members Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. European carmakers and mobile phone operators have already backed the system, fulfilling another condition for its large-scale deployment.

Despite the growing support, five years after the campaign began eCall is not yet operational in any EU country. The commission had encouraged national authorities to roll out eCall much sooner, but some countries have expressed concerns about the estimated cost (around €100 per car). Others have been slow to upgrade their emergency centres and train rescue personnel to handle the calls.

When the eCall device senses a major impact, it automatically dials 112, the European emergency number, and informs rescue workers of the car’s whereabouts. Calls can also be made by pushing a button.

In either case, a voice connection is established between the vehicle and the rescue centre in addition to the automatic data link. This way, drivers and passengers capable of answering questions can provide further details of the accident.

If fully deployed across Europe, it is estimated the system would save 2 500 lives a year and reduce severe injuries by at least 15%. Around 39 000 people were killed on Europe’s roads in 2008, the latest figures available.

The initiative concerns only new cars – the EU is not asking for existing cars to be retrofitted.

Over the last three years, the EU has provided €160m for research on information technology to improve safety and services in transport.

 

Šaltinis: ec.europa.eu
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

"Plastic soup" sea pollution highlighted by Anna Rosbach

Imagine a drifting mass of plastic and rubber 34 times the size of the Netherlands. more »

IMF and Botswana’s Financial Regulator Work Together to Improve Breadth and Quality of Macroeconomic Statistical Data

International Monetary Fund (IMF) statistical experts are working with officials of the Bank of Botswana (BOB) and of the Nonbank Financial Regulatory Agency (NBFIRA) to improve the breadth and quality of data collected from the financial industry. more »

EU and Argentina settle WTO case on Genetically Modified Organisms

The European Union and Argentina have today signed in Buenos Aires a final settlement of the WTO dispute that Argentina brought against the EU in May 2003 regarding the application of its legislation on biotech products. more »

Chile rebuilds after earthquake

The inauguration of Chile's new president was a moving moment for the EU's new commissioner for humanitarian aid - in more ways than one. more »

Results Profile: Morocco Public Administration

Between 2001 and 2008, Morocco enjoyed the benefits of sound economic management and reforms. Its growth rate doubled from the 1990s to an average of 5.1%, while per capita income also doubled to $2,850 in 2008. more »

Women Lead Transformation of Urban Slums in Vietnam

Thoung Ly ward in the bustling port city of Haiphong, Vietnam, is bordered by a sludgy grey canal that flows into the sea with the waste of those who live beside it. more »

Results Profile: Tunisia

In the half century since its independence, Tunisia has made major economic and social advances, including a quadrupling of per capita gross domestic product (GDP) and an increase in life expectancy to near developed country levels. more »

Middle East conflict: build trust and freeze settlements, says EMPA

The stalled Middle East peace talks dominated the sixth plenary session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), in Jordan (12-14 March). more »

Storms in France and Madeira: mobilise EU solidarity funding fast and flexibly, say MEPs

The EU Solidarity Fund must be mobilised "in the most urgent and flexible way and to the greatest possible extent" to help the areas hit by severe storms in February, as soon as the national governments have submitted their aid requests, said MEPs in Strasbourg on Thursday morning. more »

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty debated

During the cold war the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was the cornerstone of international efforts to control the balance of nuclear bomb-making technology. more »