UNDER DRAFT LEGISLATION approved by the European Parliament today, new cars from October 2015 will be required to have a device that notifies emergency services immediately in the event of a crash.
The parliament approve the eCall device regulation at first reading today and it will not go to the Council for approval. The device would register the location of the incident and be able to gauge the seriousness and calls to emergency services could be cancelled by the driver if they no longer needed assistance.
Speaking to Karen Coleman from EP Radio today, MEP Jim Higgins explained why this initiative is so important.
The ambulance, police, the fire services, they can all be told literally in minutes where an accident has occurred and of course, as we know, what is crucially important is the golden hour because getting somebody to services – the medical services particularly is crucial – first of all in mitigating the injuries and secondly, in many cases in saving lives.
These devices are currently available on a voluntary basis but the legislation, if fully approved, would make them mandatory.
Higgins said the initiative was met with some opposition from the car industry who he said provided “grossly inflated figures” in relation to the cost of these devices.
“The actual cost, the additional cost, in terms of the purchase price of a vehicle is €100,” he clarified.
Click here to listen to the interview.
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