There are simple things we can all do to help keep our roads safe. If everyone fastened their seatbelt, respected speed limits, and didn't drive under the influence of alcohol, there would be less auto incidents.

However, sometimes accidents are unavoidable, and in the instance of an accident, calling for help as soon as possible would greatly reduce crash-related deaths. And so, the Eurpoean Union is taking this into consideration, and, by the year 2015, plans to make sure all new vehicles have an emergency call system installed.

According to a report issued by AFP, the eCall system will be installed in new models of cars and light vehicles. The system will automatically alert Europe's emergency number, 112, in the case of a serious accident.

The system does not track, so privacy is not an issue with the rollout of the eCall system.

In the event of a serious accident anywhere in Europe, the cars equipped with e-Call automatically call the nearest emergency center using 112. Basic information about the crash, including the exact location of the accident scene, is communicated via this call, even when no passenger is capable to communicate. The availability of the location information reduces rescue services' reaction time by 50 percent in rural and 40 percent in urban areas. Estimates suggest that this could save up to 2,500 lives in Europe each year, and lead to less severe injuries in 15 percent of all non-fatal cases.

To fully deploy eCall, Europe's car and telecoms industries and national administrations in all EU countries, must ensure that their emergency services, especially call centers, are equipped to handle eCalls. eCall is one of the priorities of the Intelligent Car Initiativeand the Intelligent Transport Systems Action Planpromoting the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) to achieve smarter, safer and cleaner road transport.

Road accidents cost the EU economy more than €160 billion per year. Equipping all cars in the EU with eCall could save €26 billion annually. The eCall system will also make it easier to manage road traffic congestion and to install services like satellite navigation in cars.

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