Skip to main content

Success of first eCall tests in Greece

Greece has successfully completed the first tests of its automatic emergency call system, eCall, within the framework of the eCall pilot national research project, a European initiative intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a collision anywhere in the European Union. eCall uses a device installed in vehicles that will automatically dial 112 (the pre-assigned European emergency number) in the event of a road accident and wirelessly send airbag deployment, impact sensor information and G
October 2, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Greece has successfully completed the first tests of its automatic emergency call system, eCall, within the framework of the eCall pilot national research project, a European initiative intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a collision anywhere in the 1816 European Union.

eCall uses a device installed in vehicles that will automatically dial 112 (the pre-assigned European emergency number) in the event of a road accident and wirelessly send airbag deployment, impact sensor information and GPS coordinates to local emergency services.

The eCall project in Greece aims to implement and demonstrate a national pilot application for the system. The system will automatically notify the emergency services of vehicle accident via mobile telecommunication networks, and complying with the same technical standards and with the same Quality of Service across Europe.

The eCall project is coordinated by 374 Ertico's partner organisation, the 5987 Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS), with the participation of mobile network operator Cosmote Mobile Telecommunications and software and electronics supplier 6642 Space Hellas. It is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union and by national resources under the 2007-2013 NSRF and the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship (OPC II) framework.

The tests were carried out on a prototype system using a research vehicle; emergency calls were routed from the ICCS in-vehicle system (IVS), through the Cosmote mobile telecommunication network to the public safety answering point (PSAP), which was installed by Space Hellas.

According to the EU, eCall cuts emergency services response time down to 50% in rural areas and 60% in urban areas. The quicker response will save hundreds of lives in the EU every year, and the severity of injuries will be considerably reduced in tens of thousands of cases.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • euroFOT study demonstrates benefits of driver assistance systems
    June 26, 2012
    Today, the euroFOT consortium published the findings of a four-year study focused on the impact of driver assistance systems in the Europe. The €22 million (US$27.5 million) European Field Operational Test (euroFOT) project which began in June 2008 and involved 28 companies and organisations, was led by Aria Etemad from Ford’s European Research Centre in Aachen, Germany. The study looked at existing technologies and their potential to both enhance safety and reduce environmental impact. euroFOT also reveale
  • European ITS Directive: From Minority Report to majority rapport
    December 1, 2023
    A 21-year old movie by Steven Spielberg appears to predict a C-ITS Day 3 use case. Richard Lax of Kapsch TrafficCom looks at the new European ITS Directive and idly wonders whether the great Hollywood movie director was once a European Commission intern in DG Move…
  • Intelligent intersection control
    April 12, 2013
    Intelligent intersection control systems have a growing role to play in making urban traffic more efficient. Robin Meczes reports. The idea of every traffic light turning green as you approach it has long been a dream for many an urban driver – and none more so than those driving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), which are slow and difficult to bring to a halt and then accelerate back to normal travel speed. But that dream has become a reality for some drivers in a small number of cities around Europe in the las
  • Volvo warns EU on its approach to electric vehicles and its transport white paper
    March 22, 2012
    Volvo Car Corporation warns that EU targets for cutting carbon dioxide emissions are being jeopardised by the absence of harmonised incentives to consumers. Another key issue is the urge for continuous support to automotive research and development, including electromobility. Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation, told an industry seminar in Brussels yesterday that jobs, investment and competitiveness in the European car industry could be threatened by the European Commission's approach