As of the end of March 2018, all new types of cars and light commercial vehicles will be equipped with an eCall device that will automatically dial the 112 emergency number if an accident occurs.
 
The EU proposal received the final green light from the European Parliament's internal market and consumer protection committee today, with the backing of S&D Euro MPs.
 
The quicker response from the emergency services to accidents on roads across Europe could save about 2,500 lives in the EU every year. The severity of injuries will also be considerably reduced in tens of thousands of cases. 

The European Parliament’s negotiator, S&D Euro MP Olga Sehnalová, stated:
 
"The number of deaths on European roads is unfortunately still unacceptably high. The eCall emergency system will help improve road safety as it significantly reduces the time before the emergency services arrive when a serious accident happens.
 
"eCall will be a public service, free of charge for all citizens, irrespective of the type of vehicle or its purchase price. The regulation clearly limits the use of eCall to being a safety device and restricts the ability to trace the location of vehicles and information about them to the emergency services, to avoid misuse." 

S&D Group spokeswoman on the internal market, Evelyne Gebhardt added:
 
"We don't always have good news to announce from Brussels; this eCall service is really good news for European citizens and their safety on the roads.
 
"The Socialists and Democrats were the leading force in ensuring an EU-wide public eCall service based on the 112 emergency number, available free of charge to everyone. The outcome is very satisfactory."