German carmaker, Mercedes-Benz, will start equipping all its new models with the pan-European eCall emergency warning system from 1 June 2012.
The company said that the new B, C, E and M-Class models will use its 'COMAND-online' user interface to activate eCall.
The eCall system is an emergency call, either generated manually by vehicle occupants or automatically via activation of in-vehicle sensors, when an accident occurs.
When activated, the in-vehicle eCall system establishes a 112-voice connection directly with the relevant PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point), which is a public authority or a private eCall center that operates under the authorization of a public body.
At the same time, a minimum set of data (MSD), including key information about the accident, such as time, location and vehicle description, is sent to the PSAP operator receiving the voice call.
The European Union has mandated that eCall will have to be on all new cars from 2015, according to automotiveit.com.
The automatic emergency calling system will begin this summer in nine countries including Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the UK, while another 19 countries will be added by the end of 2012.
The EU Commission estimates that eCall can reduce emergency response times in rural areas by 50% and in cities by 40%.
