Galileo: a fix on the future

Since the beginning of last month, rules require all new cars and light vans sold in Europe to be equipped for eCall – a free service which will automatically summon help in the event of a serious collision. Making use of Europe’s growing Galileo constellation of navigation satellites, eCall is predicted to speed up the emergency response by as much as 40 per cent in urban areas and 50 per cent in the countryside.

If a crash occurs, sensors in the vehicle trigger the on-board eCall module, which promptly reports its exact location and other details to the appropriate public service emergency centre. It does this even if the vehicle’s occupants are unable to act for themselves. In addition, it opens a voice channel to the emergency operator via the pan-European emergency telephone number, 112. By saving valuable time in mounting a rescue, eCall is forecast to reduce the number of fatalities by at least four per cent and severe injuries by six per cent. In the UK, the value of a prevented road fatality is put by the Department for Transport at an average of £1.8m (at 2016 prices) – against which the cost of an eCall module, at less than £100 initially, looks modest.