Stefan Mileschin

The EU wants mobile technology to be used to phone the emergency services if your car is involved in an accident.

From 2015 all cars will have to be fitted with eCall devices to alert the rescue services to road crashes. The service will use the 112 public emergency call system.

MEPs said that this system would enable rescue services to arrive faster, saving lives and reducing injuries.

The European Parliament has been trying to get a voluntary approach from member nations but this has failed. The resolution calls for legislative measures as soon as possible to ensure the eCall system will be mandatory in all EU countries by 2015.

Only a small proportion of cars fitted with with the technology. The MEPs want it on motorcycles, buses, coaches and trucks in the near future.

The in-vehicle eCall system uses 112 emergency call technology to alert the emergency services automatically to the location of serious road accidents. It means that paramedics can get to the scene within the first "golden hour" of the accident.

MEPs think that the system could save up to 2,500 lives a year and reduce injury severity by 10 to 15 percent.

They also think that the public eCall service should be mandatory and available free of charge to all drivers in Europe, irrespective of the make of their vehicles.

The resolution said that the eCall service must not be used to monitor a person's movements or determine his or her location unless that person has been involved in an accident.

http://news.techeye.net/hardware/eu-...your-accidents