Increasing the use of life-saving technology on Europe’s roads

Creation date: 14 November 2006

Key road safety players came together on 2 and 3 November 2006 to review how eSafety systems can help reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Europe’s roads.

“Each year there are more than 1.4 million car accidents and 40,000 road fatalities in Europe. Increased use of eSafety systems could bring this number down substantially”, says Jacob Bangsgaard, Director of eSafety Support. “By decreasing the driver’s workload, detecting dangers and providing support in hazardous situations, such systems could save thousands of lives every year.”

Organised by eSafety Support and co-hosted by the Swedish Road Administration and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, day one of the European eSafety Observers meeting took place in Stockholm, while day 2 was organised in Helsinki. The aim was to review how stakeholders can work together in order to boost the deployment of eSafety systems.

The meeting featured presentations by European Commission and eSafety Support experts, giving an overview of the eSafety initiative and its current priorities. The initiative, dating from 2002, is dedicated to halving the number of road deaths in Europe by 2010 through the development and deployment of eSafety systems.

Discussions focused on progress in the Member States towards the full scale roll-out of eCall – the pan-European in-vehicle emergency call. When the car senses a major impact, eCall will automatically report its exact location to the nearest emergency centre. Anyone in the car can also trigger an eCall by simply pushing a button. The technology could save an estimated 2,500 lives every year and provide faster medical care for many thousands more. With the necessary commitment from all relevant stakeholders, the life-saving technology will be available in all new vehicles from 2011.