"All new models of cars have to be equipped with a device to automatically alert 112 after an accident. The EPP Group very much supports this great improvement. "This is a huge step towards better road safety", argued Wim van de Camp MEP, who negotiated the dossier on behalf of the EPP Group, in a debate in the European Parliament today. The Parliament will vote tomorrow on the Report.

 

Thanks to eCall, emergency services will be able to quickly find the exact location of an accident. This should help reduce the number of road fatalities. Around 28,000 people are killed and 1.5 million injured on European roads every year. "Way too much", said van de Camp.

 

The device is now installed voluntarily only in the most expensive types of cars. From October 2015 onwards, manufacturers will install the device in all new models. It will cost manufacturers around €50 each, which they cannot charge separately to car buyers.

 

The device is only activated after a crash, i.e. when the air bags open up. It will send only a limited amount of crucial information, like the location. "Some MEPs are still concerned about their privacy, despite these restrictions. I will certainly not, if I am unconscious on a foreign country road after hitting a tree."

 

The new Regulation already protects data, van de Camp stressed: "So, any complaints on this are useless scares about this great innovation. Let's save lives, let's introduce the eCall."

 

The EPP Group is by far the largest political group in the European Parliament with 274 Members from 27 Member States.

 

BRU - Tel: +32 (0)2 2845298 Fax: +32 (0)2 2849298

STR - Tel: +33 (0)3 88 175298 Fax: +33 (0)3 88 179298

Email: wim.vandecamp@europarl.europa.eu

 

Phone: +32 470 47 31 83

E-mail: cornelis.bos@europarl.europa.eu