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Portugal adopts eCall system
• 11 Oct 2007 •
PORTUGAL, Spain and the Czech Republic have signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the eCall system drawn up by the European Commission. Holland has meanwhile announced that they are willing to sign in the near future. These signatures indicate the countries’ commitment to actively support the Europe-wide rapid introduction of the pan-European in-vehicle emergency call system which uses the European emergency phone number 112. In the event of an accodent, the on-board eCall device transmits an emergency call to the most appropriate emergency service answering point along with vehicle-related data with the vehicle's precise location, the number plate, make and model. The emergency call can be triggered either manually by the occupants of the vehicle or automatically, even if the driver of the vehicle is unconscious, due to sensors installed in the vehicle. The main advantage of the system is that it provides the emergency services with instant information about the location of the accident, thereby reducing their response time considerably. Studies show that the response time could be reduced by about 50 per cent in rural areas and 40 per cent in urban areas.
It is estimated that the eCall system could save up to 2,500 lives a year in the EU and, in particular, could significantly reduce the severity of the injuries sustained in 15 per cent of cases. Due to the reduction in emergency response times, the system will also ensure a corresponding reduction in traffic jams attributable to road accidents. Following these three signatures, 12 EU member states are pledged to introduce the eCall system. The protocol has already been signed by other non-EU members including Switzerland and Norway. |  Return to Top
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