ROAD SAFETY : ECALL OBLIGATORY IN CARS BY END 2015.

MEPs confirmed in plenary session, on 26 February, that all new models of cars and light utility vehicles should be equipped with the eCall system from October 2015. eCall is a system that automatically alerts emergency services to the exact location of an accident, using the emergency number 112. According to the European Commission's estimates, it could save almost 2,500 lives a year by allowing emergency services to reach accident scenes more rapidly.

However, will it really be possible to deploy eCall by 2015? According to the automobile industry, the deadline is "very ambitious". The problem is not so much technical - since the technology already exists - but relates to the fact that in order for eCall to function, it is not only necessary for cars to be equipped, but the infrastructure must also exist to allow member states to receive calls. To complement the...