6 December 2014

eCall systems to be mandatory in 2018

Automatic emergency call systems are to be mandatory in all new cars and LCVs sold in the EU from 31 March 2018, writes Brian Byrne.

The plan has been approved by the EU Parliament, to help improve safety and response times for emergency services to an accident.

The eCall systems will not track motorists continuously, but in an incident the location of the vehicle will be transmitted automatically to the emergency services.

The system will only give basic minimum data, such as the class of vehicle, the type of fuel used, the time of the accident, and the exact location. There are explicit regulations to ensure that such data is not provided to any third party without permission from the persons concerned.

Adding the eCall system further to other vehicles, such as buses, coaches and trucks is currently under consideration by the EU Commission