EU States Chided Over Car-Crash Calling Service
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Internet News Article | Reuters.co.uk:
"Steps by the European Union to introduce automatic phone calls to emergency services after a car crash have hit a bump as few member states have so far signed up to the scheme.
In February, the European Commission and the auto industry agreed that all new cars in the EU would be equipped with automatic emergency call (eCall) technology by 2009.
Of the bloc's 25 member states, only Finland and Sweden have agreed to install the equipment needed for emergency centres to receive the calls. Germany is set to sign up soon.
European Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding told the Frankfurt car show on Wednesday that eCall could save 2,500 lives a year by calling emergency services more quickly after a crash.
After an accident, eCall generates an emergency mobile phone call either manually by the vehicle's occupants or by automatically triggering sensors inside the car.
Voice and data are sent to the nearest emergency services centre, which can locate the accident automatically.
'This is the life saver, because it works whether the accident victims are conscious or not,' Reding said.
The Commission estimated it would cost 150 euros a car to install the equipment and 50,000 euros to upgrade each emergency call centre."
© Reuters 2005
"Steps by the European Union to introduce automatic phone calls to emergency services after a car crash have hit a bump as few member states have so far signed up to the scheme.
In February, the European Commission and the auto industry agreed that all new cars in the EU would be equipped with automatic emergency call (eCall) technology by 2009.
Of the bloc's 25 member states, only Finland and Sweden have agreed to install the equipment needed for emergency centres to receive the calls. Germany is set to sign up soon.
European Commissioner for Information Society and Media Viviane Reding told the Frankfurt car show on Wednesday that eCall could save 2,500 lives a year by calling emergency services more quickly after a crash.
After an accident, eCall generates an emergency mobile phone call either manually by the vehicle's occupants or by automatically triggering sensors inside the car.
Voice and data are sent to the nearest emergency services centre, which can locate the accident automatically.
'This is the life saver, because it works whether the accident victims are conscious or not,' Reding said.
The Commission estimated it would cost 150 euros a car to install the equipment and 50,000 euros to upgrade each emergency call centre."
© Reuters 2005
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