In its decision of 1 April 2018, the European Commission ruled that all new type-approved passenger cars and commercial vehicles (up to 3.5 tonnes) must be equipped with eCall, i.e. a road collision/accident detection system that enables vehicles to automatically trigger emergency calls in case of an accident. The main objective of this solution is to increase road safety and reduce the time needed to notify the emergency services about road collisions and accidents.

HOW DOES ECALL WORK?

The events reported via ECall are emergency notifications that are triggered automatically by sensors in the vehicle or manually by the driver and their passengers in the event of a road accident or other emergency. The reports generated by the eCall module are treated by emergency number operators as valid, especially so where they are followed by a conversation with the reporting person who confirms the event or where it is not possible to establish a voice connection with the reporting person and a Minimum Set of Data is obtained (MSD – Minimum Set of Data), which contains, among others, information on the location of the event. After receiving information from the eCall module, the emergency number operator will attempt to make a voice call to those in the vehicle.

If you or another person in the vehicle accidentally trigger the eCall module, e.g. by pressing the SOS button, the module of the car will automatically connect you with emergency centre. Inform the operator, if the event you have reported is not of an emergency nature. If you remain silent or do not respond to the operator’s verification call, they will treat your report as an emergency call likely to involve unconscious people and redirect it to the relevant emergency services for help.

eCall reports may also be sent to an intermediary centre (private operator – Third Party Service Provider) and only then redirected to the Emergency Notification Centre. In such case, the emergency number operator notifies the relevant emergency services about the incident on the basis of information collected by a consultant from the intermediary centre who verifies and updates the information.

WHAT'S IN THE MINIMUM SET OF DATA?

• the number from which the eCall report was generated,
• type of call (manual or automatic),
• GPS coordinates of the vehicle,
• the direction in which the vehicle was moving,
• time of the event,
• vehicle technical data (vehicle type, fuel type),
• the number of passengers with fastened seat belts,
• vehicle identification number (VIN).
• the minimum set of data is forwarded to the Emergency Notification Centre only when the eCall module is activated (manually or automatically). No data can be downloaded when the eCall module is not active.

HOW TO REPORT ROAD INCIDENTS

When reporting a road incident to the emergency number 112, stay calm and follow the instructions of the emergency number operator. Do not hang up, unless the operator expressly tells you to do so. Determine your location.

The emergency number operator will ask you to provide information about the incident, including:

• the location of the event (province, district, municipality, city, street name, the nearest house number, road number – motorway, expressway, regional road, chainage post number, GPS data),
• the number of people injured,
• type of vehicles involved in the event (passenger cars, trucks; their type, brand, registration numbers),
• the direction in which the vehicles were moving,
• visible smoke, leaks.
   

After obtaining this information, the emergency number operator will be able to forward it quickly and precisely to all emergency services that are needed to handle the situation (the Police, the State Emergency Medical Service or the State Fire Service).

Don’t call anyone after the call. This will make it difficult for the services to contact you for additional information.

Remember to stay safe at the scene of the accident. Protect yourself, the injured and the witnesses.

If you are in a life-threatening situation, call the emergency number 112 immediately.

Tell the emergency number operator your location and provide other necessary details they may request.

REMEMBER:

• Not all road incidents should be reported to the emergency number 112.
• If possible, find out where you are before dialling the 112 emergency number.
• Before leaving the vehicle, turn on hazard warning lights and put on a reflective vest.
• After leaving the vehicle, put a warning triangle on the road.
• Move close to the roadside (e.g. behind the road barriers) or on the side of the road.
• If the situation at the scene of the accident changes, call the emergency number 112 again.