Auto makers equip all new car and van models with life-saving eCall
Brussels, 28 March 2018 – As of this Saturday (31 March), automobile manufacturers will equip all new types of cars and vans with eCall; a system that automatically dials emergency services in the event of a serious road traffic accident.
The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) welcomes this milestone, which has been made possible thanks to huge investments by the industry.
“eCall has the potential to save many lives by shortening the reaction time of emergency services. This means that ambulances, fire engines and the police can intervene as quickly as possible within the ‘golden hour’ after a collision,” explained ACEA Secretary General, Erik Jonnaert.
“The rollout of eCall is just one of many developments designed to limit the effects of road accidents,” Jonnaert stated. “Looking towards the future, ‘active safety’ technologies – which can prevent accidents from happening at all – offer massive potential to further improve road safety, for example by automatically intervening when a driver fails to react in time.”
ACEA also calls for an integrated approach to safety, combining further improvements in vehicle technology with improved driver training, better road design and maintenance, and the enforcement of existing traffic regulations.
Notes for editors
- ACEA’s Position Paper on the General Safety Regulation Revision can be found at http://www.acea.be/publications/article/position-paper-general-safety-regulation-revision-2018.
About ACEA
- The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group.
- Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/.
- Contact: Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47.
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About the EU automobile industry
- 13.0 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
- 11.5% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
- €374.6 billion in tax revenue for European governments
- €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
- Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
- €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total
