All cars will have auto emergency call tech by 2018
New EU legislation will make ECall systems mandatory by 2018 for all new vehiclesAll cars sold Down Under in 2018 could have emergency call devices that automatically dial for the cops or paramedics when you’ve had an accident as a knock-on effect of new Euro legislation.
A vote passed by European Parliament paved the way for the new legislation that requires all vehicles sold within Europe to have the safety technology but because of economies of scale the same tech is expected to be fitted to the cars we drive.
The thinking behind the new tech is research that shows it could reduce road deaths by as much as 10 per cent per year.
Civil rights groups have already expressed concerns over misuse of a vehicle’s data in a possible conviction against its owner after revelations the new tech could potentially track ECall equipped cars before an accident although the draft EU law currently forbids this.
If the system does detect an accident the ECall tech provides the emergency service with the make, model of the vehicle plus its location, time of incident and number of passengers. Even the fuel used is reported.
The new law requires all manufacturers who sell in Europe to have the technology in place by October 2017.
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