112 - what number will you dial?

I wrote about this several times over the past few years, yet up take is still slow with just 4% of emergency calls going to 112. Of course the majority are used to dialling 999 in the UK, but what about the rest of Europe? We have been able to use 112 for the emergency services since 2004, but of course it is not advertised on a grand scale, despite us having 112 day every February, because we have an alternative service. A recent survey found that only 58% of adults asked knew 999 was the number to dial with an very low 3% recognising 112.

The requirement for all new vehicles to have ecall fitted as a mandatory requirement was initially rejected by the previous minister Phillip Hammond, as being too expensive to implement, despite overwhelming proof that it saves lives.  Now the decision is being made for us.

From 2015, ecall will be compulsory in all newly manufactured vehicles. The airbag system will activate a call to 112, this will help towards saving those trapped in their car unconscious and unable to call for help, particularly in rural areas where accidents are difficult to locate. GPS systems have improved so much that where they once gave a radius of ten miles it's now almost a pin point location. It is expected to save 2500 lives a year across the EU.

The ecall system will allow emergency services and the assistance of the Highways Agency to warn motorists in advance of unprotected accident areas through the signage system. It is also expected that ecall will be developed to allow vehicle tracking for stolen vehicles, of course we can feel another usage here, compulsory black box style technology for everyone, not sure how the human rights campaigners will like that, but how do you equate it as a road safety measure, a difficult call.

Ecall can be triggered manually by pushing an emergency button in the car, some vans and top of the range vehicles have this installed already and have done since 2010. It won't be so easy to let the children fiddle about with wipers and buttons while you're waiting parked up in a car park then, the results could be embarrassing at best and detract already stretched emergency services from a real emergency at worst.