From March 31, all the new car models presented by the manufacturers will have to be equipped with an eCall system, that is a service that automatically contacts a number of emergencies in the event of an accident, and which should reduce rescue times. It is a decision taken in 2015 by the European Parliament, and which comes into force only now to give car manufacturers time to adapt: it will not affect cars of models already presented that will be registered from April onwards, but only the new models.
The eCall system will work through a SIM mounted in the car, and will activate in the event of an accident by recognizing signals such as sudden deceleration or exploded airbags. The system automatically calls 112, the new European emergency number, and sends details such as location, time of the accident, direction of the vehicle (important when it comes to tunnels or motorways). The eCall can also be activated manually, if you witness an accident.
Private eCall services are already active on the most recent models of some car manufacturers, such as BMW and Mercedes, and rely on private emergency centers that respond to reports and eventually call for help. Private systems are also used by car manufacturers to collect data on their customers' habits. Even the new cars that will be equipped with systems of this type will have to combine them with those introduced by the European Union, which cannot be used for data collection, because they will only be activated in the event of an accident, without recording all other information.
According to estimates by the European Union, the introduction of the mandatory eCall system could reduce the response times for rescue operations by 50 percent in rural areas, and by 40 percent in cities, for a total of 2,500 lives saved in the year. In 2016, around 25,500 people died in road accidents in Europe, and 135,000 were seriously injured. 55 percent of accidents occurred on country roads, 37 percent in cities and 8 percent on motorways. The eCall will also have benefits for accident location management, reducing traffic and secondary accidents. And it could also have applications in tracking stolen cars. According to the European Union, it will cost producers less than 100 euros per unit.
