Held today (11th February), the vote on “eCall” gives the green light to a pan-European “type approval” method to ensure the devices meet the necessary technical standards. The decision follows a vote in December in the transport committee to approve legislation for member states to develop the technical infrastructure for handling calls from vehicles that have crashed.  

‘The eCall system could save up to 2,500 lives a year and that is to me quite a decisive argument for the introduction of this public emergency call service across the EU,’ said Olga Sehnalová, a Czech member of the S&D group who is responsible for steering the proposal through Parliament together with Philippe De Backer. 

However, although the October 2015 deadline for installing eCall devices in new model cars and light vans was set by the European Commission, acting on Parliament’s request in a resolution voted in July 2012, MEPs left open a possibility to postpone this deadline to meet the industry’s request for more time to develop and test the system. The Commission will also have to assess whether to extend eCall to other vehicles, such as buses, coaches or trucks, says the committee text. 

Commenting on the announcement, Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), said: ‘The key technologies for eCall are already available and in use, so there is no need to postpone the entry-into-force.  After a serious car crash, the time taken for emergency services to reach you can mean the difference between life and death. This system has the potential to save many lives because it will enable the emergency services to respond quicker.    

‘It's now crucial that Parliament negotiators support the strongest possible implementation of the technology during negotiations with member states on the final deal and ensure these life-saving devices are in all new types of car and van from the end of next year.’ 

Member states will have to upgrade their infrastructure so that eCalls are efficiently passed on to emergency services.

Currently, only 0.7% of all passenger vehicles in the EU are equipped with automatic emergency call systems. The eCall device is estimated to cost less than €100 per new car to install.

The plenary vote is scheduled for 26th February. Before becoming law, a deal will need to be struck with member state transport ministers and approved by the full Parliament.