Car accidents are prone to happen anytime, anywhere. During such tragedy, some victims may be too helpless to do anything, especially call for emergency assistance. Luckily, our Transport Ministry came up with a solution for it – by having the eCall system.
The eCall system will be implemented this year to ensure the safety of road users and to reduce the accident response time, as reported by The Sun Daily.
eCall system is an electronic safety system which automatically sends out emergency signals from vehicles involved in serious accidents. The Star reported that the system will now go on as a voluntary basis pilot project in Malaysia, before making it a mandatory feature for vehicles in the country in the near future.
That sounds like an absolutely great idea!
Source: MDROID
How does it work, and why is it so imba?
Well, the system will be activated automatically when a vehicle is involved in a serious accident. Crash data and emergency alerts will be sent to the Malaysian Emergency Response Services – or MERS 999 in the shortest possible time, which will then route the call to relevant emergency agencies.
This is crucial as ambulance will be able to reach the accident site as soon as possible. If assistance is able to reach the victim in the first 10 to 15 minutes, which is dubbed the ‘golden time’, more lives can be saved!
There’s already an agreement and it was signed by Miros chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and TM chairman Tan Sri Dr Sulaiman Mahbob on January 17.
Source: The Star
Apart from car accidents, the system can also be manually activated for an emergency via a panic button. Emergency alerts will be then sent to MERS 999, and channeled to the relevant emergency agencies for assistance. Data and information collected from the system will be used by Miros for research and analysis purposes, in order to reduce accidents and death rates caused by road accidents.
Moreover, eCalls also acts as a vehicle anti-theft security device, where car owners will be informed via their registered phone number in the event their car is hijacked. Cool!
Now you may be wondering, wah this system must cost a fortune. Fret not! It was said that there would not be any additional costs as car manufacturers are required to install the gadget in vehicles soon.
“The response from car manufacturers has been very good so far. After all, it is a win-win situation for car manufacturers as it will not only enhance the car’s safety aspects, it also helps to boost their sales with this added value.” Liow added.
Source: Popular Mechanics
The implementation of this system will also aid the government in reducing road accident deaths by 50 per cent in 2020.
We wish the pilot project of this system a success to help reduce the number of tragic deaths on the road!
Also read: Here’s What You Need to Do If You Ever Get Into a Car Accident in Malaysia
