The EU has passed legislation requiring all new cars sold in Europe from March 2018 to be fitted with an auto emergency call system that contacts emergency services if an accident occurs.

THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU)has passed legislation requiring all new cars (including light commercial vehicles) sold in Europe from March 2018 to be fitted with an emergency call system called eCall. The system, similar to Ford’s Emergency Assist, will send an automated message to emergency services in the event of an accident.

According to research tabled in Parliament, it’s predicted the mandatory use of this system could halve the response time of emergency services to the scene of an accident. Originally proposed back in 2012, questions were raised about privacy because of the fact the system would be able to track the vehicle’s location via GPS.

Legislation was modified to supply emergency responders with basic data, including: type of vehicle; fuel used; time of accident; and location. According to the European Parliament, eCall has the potential to save 2500 lives a year in Europe.

“As a public service, eCall will be free of charge for all citizens, whatever car they drive and whatever its purchase price. The new rules will ensure that eCall works only as a safety device. It will be illegal to use it to track a driver’s movements or to misuse location data, which must be sent only to the emergency services,” said MEP Olga Sehnalova.

Do you think Australia should follow Europe and make eCall systems mandatory in Australian-delivered cars?