Ireland won’t commit to EU road safety deal

THE Government has been criticised by the European Commission for not supporting a major road-safety initiative designed to dramatically reduce road deaths across the continent.

Ireland is one of six EU member states that has so far failed to commit itself to the introduction of the eCall system because of concerns about the cost of the project.

However, the EU claims the actual cost of implementing eCall is less than €100 per vehicle. It estimates that equipping all cars in the EU with the eCall system could save €26 billion per annum given that road accidents currently cost the EU economy more than €160bn each year.

The European Commission blamed the delay in introducing eCall on the lack of support of a minority of EU countries including Ireland.

The EU believes a device fitted in vehicles that automatically calls an ambulance after an accident and alerts the emergency services to the location of the collision could save 2,500 lives each year.

The system calls 112, the EU-wide single emergency number, automatically, in the event of a crash if a driver or passengers is incapacitated from seeking assistance themselves.

When details of eCall were announced in 2003, it was anticipated that the system could be up and running by 2006 but the project was delayed.