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02/07/2012
'e-Call' Could Reduce Irish Road Deaths By 25
European Parliament proposals for an automatic emergency call device - an 'eCall' - in cars involved in serious road accidents could reduce the number of Irish road deaths by 25 and injuries by 10-15% each year Dublin Labour MEP Emer Costello said this morning.
Ms Costello was speaking in advance of the start of this week's European Parliament Plenary session is Strasbourg which will ask the European Commission to draft legislation requiring all new cars sold in the EU from 2015 to be fitted with an eCall device that will automatically contact emergency services if the car is involved in a serious accident.
"Every minute is crucial to save lives and reduce the severity of injuries when a serious road accident occurs. The driver or passengers injured may be unconscious or unable to call emergency services. A car fitted with an eCall device however would make an automatic '999' call as soon as its sensors (e.g. airbag sensors) register a crash. The eCall would transmit data about the location and time of the crash to the nearest emergency response unit.
"On Tuesday the European Parliament will adopt a resolution urging the Commission to draft legislation by the end of the year requiring car manufacturers to fit an eCall device in all new cars from 2015 and requiring Member States to ensure their emergency services are able to handle eCalls from the same date.
"It is estimated that if an eCall device were fitted in all new cars, the arrival of emergency teams to an accident scene would be 40% quicker in urban areas and 50% in rural areas. This in turn would result in 2,500 fewer road deaths in Europe annually - equating to 25 fewer deaths in Ireland - and the severity of injuries would be reduced by 10-15%. The device could also be fitted in existing cars at a cost of less than €100.
"This technology has been available for a number of years but so far less than 1% of cars in the EU are fitted with it.
"The Commission should now come forward with binding legislation which I hope will be quickly approved by Transport Ministers and MEPs."
(CD/GK)
Ms Costello was speaking in advance of the start of this week's European Parliament Plenary session is Strasbourg which will ask the European Commission to draft legislation requiring all new cars sold in the EU from 2015 to be fitted with an eCall device that will automatically contact emergency services if the car is involved in a serious accident.
"Every minute is crucial to save lives and reduce the severity of injuries when a serious road accident occurs. The driver or passengers injured may be unconscious or unable to call emergency services. A car fitted with an eCall device however would make an automatic '999' call as soon as its sensors (e.g. airbag sensors) register a crash. The eCall would transmit data about the location and time of the crash to the nearest emergency response unit.
"On Tuesday the European Parliament will adopt a resolution urging the Commission to draft legislation by the end of the year requiring car manufacturers to fit an eCall device in all new cars from 2015 and requiring Member States to ensure their emergency services are able to handle eCalls from the same date.
"It is estimated that if an eCall device were fitted in all new cars, the arrival of emergency teams to an accident scene would be 40% quicker in urban areas and 50% in rural areas. This in turn would result in 2,500 fewer road deaths in Europe annually - equating to 25 fewer deaths in Ireland - and the severity of injuries would be reduced by 10-15%. The device could also be fitted in existing cars at a cost of less than €100.
"This technology has been available for a number of years but so far less than 1% of cars in the EU are fitted with it.
"The Commission should now come forward with binding legislation which I hope will be quickly approved by Transport Ministers and MEPs."
(CD/GK)
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09 April 2013
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07 December 2012
Search Resumes For Men Who Fled Crash Scene
Two men who fled the scene of a road traffic accident in Milltown, Co Galway last night, are still being sought by Gardaí. Two other men, who were unable to free themselves from the back of the car following the collision, are being treated at Galway University Hospital for minor injuries.
Search Resumes For Men Who Fled Crash Scene
Two men who fled the scene of a road traffic accident in Milltown, Co Galway last night, are still being sought by Gardaí. Two other men, who were unable to free themselves from the back of the car following the collision, are being treated at Galway University Hospital for minor injuries.
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Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:Showers, scattered in the evening, will clear by midnight leaving the night dry with clear spells. Perhaps a touch of ground frost. Cloud will spread east towards morning. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
