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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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I don’t understand US politics. Not the mechanism, the voting, the House and Senate, I get that. But how a democrstic ‘system’ can be so blatantly undemocratic leaves me bemused. And how the whole system has become so partisan and divisive over the last 30 years leaves me cold and worried.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Your claim that you understand the US political system is not supported by your post. America is a democratic republic where citizens vote for representatives from different political parties, just like in Ireland. The US unlike Ireland has a strong executive branch headed by the President who is elected by the people, unlike Ireland where back room deals determine who is Toaseach. The US Senate is a true representative body unlike the Irish Senead which has appointed members.
@Don Hogan: …until the electoral college comes along and votes someone in that nobody voted for…
@Don Hogan: that’s not true. They should get rid of the electoral college. Trump lost the public vote in 2016 and still won. Nearly did it again in 2023
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Your claim that you understand the US political system is not supported by your post. America is a democratic republic where citizens vote for representatives from different political parties, just like in Ireland. The US unlike Ireland has a strong executive branch headed by the President who is elected by the people, unlike Ireland where back room deals determine who is Taoiseach. The US Senate is a true representative body unlike the Irish Senead which has appointed members.
@Don Hogan: Gerrymandering is legal in the US.
In the US, unlike here were Electoral boundaries and Constituencies are drawn up by the Constituency Commission who are neutral, US politicians draw up the election boundaries.
https://www.constituency-commission.ie/
As a result the Electoral boundaries in the US often end up particularly bent out of shape, snaking across the landscape from Blue city suburbs out to rural Red areas, boundaries that get ever more bizarre the longer one party ends up in control of the mapping pen.
As result, it is almost impossible to elect a politician from the opposing party, whose party did not draw up the electoral district, in severely gerrymandered districts. Yes both parties are guilty of this.
That is just one example of the US’ flawed democracy.
@Don Hogan: the first line in Sean’s comment is, “I don’t understand [...]“. You do know that the U.S.A. is considered a flawed democracy, don’t you?
@Patrick Kelly: you’re a year ahead of us all dude :)
@Don Hogan: our proportional representation is factually a more democratic system then that used by the US. That in itself makes Ireland more of a democratic republic. But the most telling is the constitution which the US public have no direct say over.
@Don Hogan: in the USA private groups and special interest groups can lobby for favours for cash. In Ireland that gets you a criminal record and prison sentence. In the USA if you live in a sparsely populated Midwestern state your vote counts more than if you live in a large city. In the USA the GOP regularly make it difficult for minorities to vote and this is legal. Nothing democratic about the USAs system
@Don Hogan: Honestly, that has got to be one of the most ill informed comments I have ever had the misfortune to read regarding the US senate. California with 55m people elects two senators. Alabama with 5 m elects two senators. How is that remotely representative?
@Gerard Carthy: Most bicameral upper houses are not a linear representation of votes cast. The Seanad has members who are not all directly elected, Westminster has a House of Lords or upper house that are not directly elected.
I think his point was that ‘at least’ every US Senator in congress is directly elected by the State’s voters for a six year fixed term. That being said, if a US Senator vacates their senate seat during tenure though death or resignation then that State’s Governor gets to decide who takes the vacant senate seat for the remainder of the term
No system is perfect and Republics are not actually ‘true’ democracies in every sense of the meaning of democracy
Hon Big John!
Dr Oz lololololololololol
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