EC Proposes Action Plan for In-Vehicle Emergency Calls
December 12, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS
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The European Commission (EC) recently proposed several actions to prompt the rollout of emergency call (eCall) technology for cars in Europe. In its Nov. 23 status report, the EC warned that the action plan agreed to by industry and the EC in 2005 to add eCall to all new cars in Europe by 2009 was stalled. While there has been significant progress at the European level, some member states have been slow to invest in infrastructure, and industry now refuses further action.
"We urgently need to get eCall back on track," said Viviane Reding, EC commissioner for information society and media. "We have the technology. Now we need member states and industry to move up a gear and help us make Europe's roads safer sooner rather than later."
The initial 2005 EC-industry agreement contained a framework for rolling out eCall in Europe (see IP/05/134 and IP/05/1137), targeting member states that had to invest in emergency rescue service infrastructure. The EC also agreed to monitor progress closely and to take further action if eCall deployment was endangered. As eCall is based on the single European emergency number 112 and its location enhancement, E112, their implementation was also followed by the EC.
While the EC has taken several measures supporting eCall deployment and standardisation, and some member states have already started eCall deployment, many are not on track with the necessary infrastructure. Industry has already reacted with a new deployment timetable of 2010 instead of 2009.
The EC's new communication calls for two actions it considers crucial for making eCall a reality soon:
- Member states should be given clear actions with deadlines for solving the remaining legal, technical and socio-economic issues and proceeding with the necessary 112, E112 and eCall infrastructures.
- Industry needs to renew its commitment to eCall.
The EC will also start negotiations with the associations of the automotive industry on a voluntary agreement for introducing eCall devices into vehicles. The EC will provide further assistance by working on privacy and standardisation, as well as by doing field tests and public awareness campaigns as part of the intelligent car initiative within the EC's i2010 strategy (see IP/06/191 and IP/06/1271).
Background
The EC and the automobile industry agreed in February 2005 on an action plan aimed at introducing eCall in all new vehicles from 2009 (see MEMO/05/363). It is estimated that eCall will save up to 2,500 fatalities each year in the 25 member states of the European Union (EU-25) when fully deployed. In the event of a crash, eCall technology will call emergency services, which can be reached throughout Europe under the single European emergency number, 112, and report the exact location. An eCall may be triggered either automatically or manually by someone in the vehicle. Accurate location information will drastically cut emergency response time, save lives and reduce the severity of the injuries.
For more information, see:
- MEMO/06/476 on the Telecom Council
- eSafety web site
- eSafety Forum calls for increased efforts to implement eCall
- i2010 - A European Information Society for growth and employment
- Europe by satellite
- eCall Memorandum of Understanding (list of member states, organisations and companies that have signed up for eCall)
Source: European Commission.