Institution responds to EU vote to back mandatory rollout of eCall

The Institution's Philippa Oldham backs EU Parliament's vote in favour of the mandatory EU-wide roll out of the emergency alert system for cars.

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the EU Parliament voting in favour of a mandatory EU-wide roll out of emergency alert system eCall:

“This technology automatically alerts emergency services in the case of a serious car accident providing the exact location using Global Positioning Systems. The vote by the EU Parliament is very welcome news as these technologies have the potential to cut road fatalities by as much as 10%.

“Since 2012, the Institution has been calling for the mandatory roll out of the eCall system, as well as collision-avoidance technologies for all buses and lorries, which could help eliminate cyclist and pedestrian deaths caused by driver ‘blind-spots’. We hope this vote by the EU Parliament will prompt the EU and UK Government to examine other ways intelligent transport systems can help improve transport safety.”