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UAE: New eCall system to alert police about accidents within seconds

Abu Dhabi - The police unveiled the e-Call system as part of the UAE Innovation Week.

Published: Sun 28 Feb 2021, 9:33 AM

Updated: Sun 28 Feb 2021, 11:48 AM

By
Ismail Sebugwaawo

An electronic car call system that automatically alerts the nearest police station about an accident has been launched in Abu Dhabi to speed up accident report and emergency response times.

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Abu Dhabi Police unveiled the e-Call system as part of the UAE Innovation Week that concluded on Saturday.

The new system, that has been introduced to all police command centres across the emirate, alerts the police control room directly within seconds in case of an accident, which aids the force and emergency services to provide assistance in the shortest possible time, said authorities.

“The new advanced system provides innovative solutions to enhance the speed of response when road accidents occur, and keeps pace with future efforts whereby vehicles will be fitted with this new technology,” the police said in a statement.

“The system provides police with relevant information needed for emergency response and rescue and reduces the time needed for ambulance operations, thus increasing the speed of treatment — and consequently of survival of accident victims.”

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New vehicles to have the e-Call system

UAE authorities had in 2019 announced that, from 2021, all new vehicle models in the country will have the e-Call system fitted into them.

International accreditation for handling such automated vehicle accident emergency calls were given to the Abu Dhabi Police’s emergency centre.

The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) had developed the e-Call system in cooperation with the Emirates Authority for Standardisation & Metrology (Rana) and police authorities.

How it works

Officials had earlier explained that when a collision occurs between two vehicles, or the vehicle collides with anything else, e-Call operates and communicates via the vehicle's driver mobile network as a communication channel.

“The e-Call system is triggered as soon as in-vehicle sensors detect a serious accident. An emergency message is sent to police including the vehicle type, location, fuel type and number of passengers inside the vehicle,” explained officials.

“The alert system can also be activated manually with the push of a button. When the report is sent, officers in the operations room establish a call through the system to speak to passengers to check if they are conscious.”

According to police, the system will enable them to reach the site of the accident in not more than a few minutes.

“The system supports the automatic transmission of the report, and contributes to a pioneering role in enhancing the speed of response in accessing the site of the accident vehicle, and carrying out emergency and rescue operations,” said officers.

The Abu Dhabi Police said it was the first institution in the Middle East to implement the e-Call system in their command and control centres.

ismail@khaleejtimes.com