European “eCall” device gets the green light – Hayes

Fine Gael MEP for Dublin, Brian Hayes has today (Tuesday) welcomed the passing of new legislation in the European Parliament requiring all new cars in the EU to be fitted with an emergency call system.  The system known as eCall will be required to be installed in all new cars from 2018.

Speaking from Strasbourg, Mr Hayes said: “I welcome the decision taken by the Parliament today. Every year emergency services across the EU deal with road accidents which, in 2013, took 26,000 lives across the EU. Too many people are dying on our roads. Every minute counts when it comes to a road accident. It is estimated that eCall, when fully operational, could potentially save 2,500 lives per year across the EU.

“In the event of a collision, the device will automatically connect to emergency services using the European emergency number 112. A number of impact sensors are located in the vehicle which triggers the activation of eCall. It will then inform emergency services of the make of car, time and GPS location.

“The goal is to solve the effectiveness of the arrival of rescue services within the “golden hour” – the time that makes the difference between life and death. The device works purely as a safety device. There will be no monitoring of motorists’ movements. It is not traceable and when there is no emergency, (i.e.) in its normal operational status, it is not subject to any constant tracking.

“All new cars in the EU will be required to have the technology installed from March 2018” concluded Mr Hayes.