Every year, millions of road accidents occur across Europe.
In many cases, the speed at which emergency services receive information about an accident can make the difference between life and death.
The eCall system was developed precisely to improve this.
What is eCall
eCall is a system integrated into vehicles that automatically places a call to the emergency number in the event of an accident.
The system is activated when the vehicle’s sensors detect a serious impact.
What information the system transmits
When an eCall is triggered, the vehicle sends a set of data known as the Minimum Set of Data (MSD).
This set includes:
- vehicle location
- direction of travel
- vehicle type
- time of the accident
Benefits for citizens
The eCall system helps reduce the time needed to alert emergency services.
This can be especially important in situations where the vehicle occupants are unable to make a call.
Benefits for emergency services
For emergency centres, eCall provides key information even before operators speak with the vehicle occupants.
This makes it possible to prepare the response more quickly.
The evolution towards Next Generation eCall
The eCall system is evolving towards a new architecture called Next Generation eCall (NGeCall).
This evolution will make it possible to use IP networks and facilitate integration with NG112 systems.
Conclusion
eCall represents an important step towards smarter and more connected emergency systems.
The evolution towards NGeCall will further improve the capabilities of these systems.