Accidents? Come 2019, your car will call the police

DUBAI — The UAE will soon have cars that will be equipped with a smart button that motorists can use to report emergencies. The eCall system will send a distress signal to the police command control centre and allow emergency personnel to locate the vehicle within a matter of seconds.

All new vehicles imported to the UAE from 2019 will be equipped with the smart feature, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced on Monday on the sidelines of Gitex Technology Week.

The initiative has been rolled out in coordination with the police forces of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The move makes the UAE the first in the Middle East to implement the initiative.

Capt Ali Saif Salem Al Ramsi from the Dubai Police told

Khaleej Times that the eCall system will mean faster response time for the police and paramedics.

“In case the motorist is involved in an accident, he/she will just press a button in his/her car and this will send a distress signal to the police. The system will be available for all 2019 model cars and even for mid-2018 vehicles.

“I believe this will be implemented in some European countries in 2023, but in Dubai, we will roll it out in 2019,” Al Ramsi said.

The information sent by the system is logged into the police system automatically, rather than print commands as is done now. This would reduce the level of human error in locating an accident site.

The eCall system will automatically connect the vehicle to the emergency authorities. The system senses the magnitude of the accident, and immediately contacts the nearest emergency centre, accurately transmitting the geographical location of the incident as well as other relevant data. Regardless of whether the call is made automatically or manually, the eCall provides voice communication between the vehicle and the emergency centre staff, where passengers could answer questions about their condition, and provide the emergency centre with more data to help them provide the appropriate assistance.

The system will prove especially useful in situations where the driver is unable to communicate due to injury.

Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, TRA director-general, said: “The eCall initiative is part of the TRA’s mission to improve the quality of services to the people.”

Major-General Mohammed Khalfan Al Romaithi, commander-in-chief of the Abu Dhabi Police, said that the Abu Dhabi Police response centres are ready to use the new system. ismail@khaleejtimes.com angel@khaleejtimes.com