eCall: last call to implement car safety system voluntarily

Date: 14/9/2009

Source: EUROPA

The EC has issued a final warning to the automotive industry and governments across Europe that it intends to mandate the fitment of eCall to all new vehicle models by 2014 at the latest. The Commission presented a policy document with a strategy for introducing eCall in all new vehicles across Europe by 2014, starting in 2010. The measures proposed by the Commission would ensure that eCall works in all EU countries and in cars of all brands and countries of origin.

The Commission highlights that although the technology is ready and common EU-wide standards have been agreed by industry, six EU countries (Denmark, France, Ireland, Latvia, Malta and the UK) are still not ready to commit, due to cost related concerns.

Before making eCall fully operational across the EU, countries must agree common standards and guidelines for harmonised deployment of the system and perform field tests putting it into practice.

The European Commission Communication published in August 2009 can be found by following this link to the eSafety web site.

ITS Radar International will continue to monitor eCall developments

Keywords: Communications, Emergency, European Commission, Policy, Safety