The European Commission’s Group of experts on accidents in the transport sector held its first plenary session on 14 July 2004.
The group, which will advise the Commission on its transport safety strategy, was created in June 2003 and has 12 appointed members, out of 100 candidates from across Europe.
During the first plenary session, the group has given itself a mandate defining the aspects falling into its remit. It has set up five working groups to cover the four sectors of transport (road, rail, maritime and aviation) as well as pipelines. At a later stage a sixth working group on methodology will take up function. Additional experts with specific skills may be asked to participate in the tasks of these working groups on an ad hoc basis.
Emergency response to road crashes across Europe may be faster following a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on eCall signed by the European Commission, ACEA and ERTICO.
eCall will be an interoperable, pan-European in-vehicle emergency call. If other industry and public stakeholders sign up to the MoU, eCall could potentially be implemented in all new vehicles sold in Europe.
In-vehicle emergency calls (eCall) have the potential to greatly reduce the number of fatalities, severity of injuries and stress in post-crash situations, by speeding up the response of the emergency services.
eCall can be initiated manually or automatically after a crash. It passes relevant information of the accident, including its accurate location, to the emergency services (the Public Service Answering Point). Realising the importance of eCall, the Commission proposed joint Public-Private sector actions for the introduction of eCall in its eSafety Communication in September 2003. Later that year, an industry-led group was established, called the eCall Driving Group. The group has produced a basic framework architecture and business plan for eCall implementation. To move ahead, a parallel commitment and joint effort by the stakeholders is needed.
Commission press release on eCall.
ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Européens d’Automobiles) represents the interests of thirteen European car, truck and bus manufacturers.
ERTICO is a not-for-profit, public/private partnership pursuing the implementation of Intelligent Transport Systems and Services (ITS) in Europe, to ensure sustainable mobility, travel satisfaction and high economic returns.
