An in-car emergency call system for all EU vehicles is up for a final vote in the European Parliament on 26 April.

eCall, a system based on the EU-wide emergency number 112, would automatically contact the nearest emergency call centre when there is a car accident. A voice connection would be established as well as providing key information about the accident such as time, location and vehicle description. If approved, the eCall Memorandum of Understanding would require all cars to be equipped with eCall by 2009.

So far, only seven of the 25 EU Member States have signed: Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia and Sweden.

There are more than 40,000 deaths on Europe’s roads every year. eCall is estimated to save 2,500 lives and 22 billion in related costs a year, thus far outweighing the costs of implementation, according to eSafety Support.