Drunk drivers fall in Neukieritzsch: Ecall saves life!

Drunk drivers fall in Neukieritzsch: Ecall saves life!

In the night of Monday, a serious traffic accident occurred on federal road 176 near Neukieritzsch, south of Leipzig, which was characterized by the driver's serious alcohol problems. The 41-year-old driver was heavily drunk and achieved a breath alcohol concentration of almost three per thousand. As a result, his vehicle was loving over a roundabout, overturning and finally lying on the side, about eight meters from the original scene of the accident. After the incident, the automatic Ecall system, which is essential for the quick rescue of accident victims, informed the emergency service about the location of the accident and the situation in the vehicle. This is particularly important because the ECALL system is intended to enable a quick response time of the rescue workers, which according to the EU estimates can be saved around 2500 human lives every year. The use of the automatic emergency call system has been mandatory for new cars in the EU since March 31, 2018 and uses a combination of GPS and mobile phone technology.

Although the driver is slightly injured, he showed himself uncooperatively and wanted to reject medical treatment. At the instruction of the emergency doctor, he was nevertheless taken to a clinic. His vehicle suffered property damage of around 12,000 euros due to the accident. In addition to the violation of the traffic rules due to high alcoholization, it is now also being determined against the risk of road traffic.

The role of the Ecall system

The Ecall system plays a crucial role in saving life after accidents. It automatically sets an emergency call as soon as a serious accident is recognized and transmits important information such as the accident time, the vehicle identification number and the exact position of the vehicle. This functionality alone is of crucial importance for the emergency services because it saves valuable time. It should be emphasized that Ecall is not activated in the event of minor damage or parking. Drivers also have the option of manually pressing the SOS button to call help, which increases the ↑ probability that it can be reacted quickly.

Despite the potential data protection concerns, it is important to emphasize that Ecall is designed as a "sleeping system" according to the regulations. It only becomes active when an accident actually happens. Older vehicles have not integrated this system, but there are alternatives such as the accident reporting service (UMD), which can also make an emergency call in an accident, but needs more technical requirements.