9 ROAD SAFETY
(30908)
13233/09
COM(09) 434
| Commission Communication: eCall: Time for Deployment
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| Legal base | —
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| Document originated | 21 August 2009
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| Deposited in Parliament | 15 September 2009
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| Department | Transport |
| Basis of consideration | EM of 12 October 2009
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| Previous Committee Report | None
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| To be discussed in Council
| Not known |
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
9.1 The Commission's third European Road Safety Action
Programme, for the period 2002-2010, set a target of halving the
annual number of road deaths in the Community by 2010 (that is
from about 47,000 to 25,000 annually). In the context of that
programme the Commission published in September 2002 a Communication
on "information and communications technologies for safe
and intelligent vehicles" (the 1st eSafety Communication).
This suggested that, while much of the development and use of
ICT-enabled vehicles is an industry responsibility, there is a
need for and merit in collaboration between the private and public
sectors. Areas for collaboration highlighted were facilitating
more cooperative intelligent vehicle and intelligent infrastructure
systems and assisting in provision of a business case for widespread
and rapid deployment. The Commission discussed action to promote
intelligent vehicle safety systems, adapt regulatory and standardisation
provisions and remove societal and business obstacles.[24]
The subject is sometimes referred to as eSafety.
9.2 In its Communication "i2010 — a European
Information Society for growth and employment" the Commission
announced its intention to launch "flagship ICT initiatives
on key social challenges" including safe and clean transport.[25]
9.3 In September 2005 the Commission published a
Communication, The 2nd eSafety Communication—
Bringing eCall to citizens, in which it made proposals to
carry forward one of the suggestions from its earlier Communication
on the use of ICT in road safety — promotion of a pan-European
in-vehicle emergency call service, to be known as eCall. eCall
would manually or automatically generate a call from a vehicle
following an accident, establishing a voice link to the emergency
service, whilst transmitting vehicle and location data. The Commission
set this in the context of its intention to launch a flagship
initiative, the Intelligent Car, as part of the i2010 programme.
Amongst the actions the Commission said Member States should undertake
in order to bring forward the introduction of eCall was signing
the European Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Realisation
of Interoperable In-Vehicle eCall.[26]
In November 2006 in a further Communication, Bringing eCall
back on track — Action Plan (3rd eSafety Communication),
the Commission asserted that slow progress in the deployment of
eCall shown by some Member States, especially the large ones,
who were crucial for keeping industry committed, had endangered
the realisation of the already agreed deployment plan. The purpose
of the Communication was to summarise the background to and rationale
for Community action, to support and facilitate progress and to
set out Commission actions "necessary for solving the current
deadlock and for bringing eCall back on track".[27]
9.4 In December 2008 the Commission published a Communication
calling for a coordinated approach to intelligent transport systems
across the Community and set out a 24 point action plan aimed
at delivering faster deployment of technology-based systems for
road transport (including interfaces with other modes of transport)
throughout the Community. The plan covered actions designed to
address a wide range of policy areas within three categories:
- cleaner transport;
- improving transport efficiency; and
- improving road safety and security.
At the same time the Commission presented a draft
Directive intended to establish a framework for the coordinated
deployment and use of intelligent transport systems for road transport
(including interfaces with other modes of transport) and to develop
the necessary specifications. In the context of its concern that
recent technological developments had been too fragmented and
not coordinated across Member States, the Commission considered
the use of a framework Directive to be the most appropriate way
to address this issue.[28]
The document
9.5 The Commission introduces this further Communication
by noting that, although road fatalities in the Community have
fallen by 27% since 2001, in 2008 there were around 39,000 deaths
and more than 1.7 million injured on Community roads. It says
that consequently further action is needed and asserts that "The
pan-European in-vehicle emergency call 'eCall' is estimated to
have the potential to save up to 2,500 fatalities annually in
EU-27 when fully deployed, to reduce the severity of injuries
bringing significant savings to society in healthcare and other
costs to reduce human suffering."
9.6 The Commission summarises the progress of the
standardisation activities for eCall and progress on the commitment
of major stakeholders to the project since publication of The
2nd eSafety Communication— Bringing eCall to
citizens. It laments that progress has been too slow and that
the roll out of the pan-European eCall is severely delayed. It
sets out a plan of further action. Under this plan the Commission
suggests that all stakeholders will:
- actively support the European eCall Implementation
Platform[29] and its
task forces;
- launch coordinated awareness campaigns to increase
the understanding of and demand for the service; and
- carry out pre-deployment pilots taking into account
the standards being approved.
The Commission says that, also under the action plan,
it intends to propose three regulatory measures in 2010 if "significant
progress" on eCall is not achieved by the end of 2009. The
proposed measures would be:
- a Recommendation to Member States about transmission
of eCalls by Mobile Network Operators;
- a draft Regulation on mandatory fitment of eCall
in vehicles through type approval; and
- a possible regulatory measure, on investment
in the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP — call centres
to route emergency calls appropriately), in the context of the
draft Directive on ITS deployment.[30]
The Government's view
9.7 The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department
for Transport (Paul Clark), tells us that:
- it is one of the Government's objectives to improve
road safety;
- it supports in principle, therefore, any action
that would assist in reducing the number of accidents, deaths
and serious injuries; and
- each initiative needs, however to be considered
on its merits and the relative costs and benefits measured.
9.8 The Minister says that the Government supports
the principles of eCall and believes technology has the potential
to play an important role in helping to deliver transport policy
objectives. He continues further that:
- the Government's evidence thus far suggests,
however, that the costs outweigh the benefits for mandatory implementation;
- it does, nevertheless, currently support two
voluntary private eCall systems in the UK —BMW and Volvo;
- the Government has not yet signed the MoU (18
Member States have done so) — an independent review carried
out in 2006 for the Department for Transport indicated that at
the time the likely costs of implementing the system in the UK
outweighed any potential benefits;
- uncertainties still remain regarding the technical
specifications, which render it difficult to assess fully the
potential impacts;
- the Commission has recently completed a further
study which included a review of eCall implementation in the UK;
- the Government will review the report when it
is made available and consider its position as necessary in light
of any new evidence or information;
- once this review has been completed and the technical
specifications have been agreed the completion of an impact assessment
can be considered;
- in relation to its suggestion that if "significant
progress" is not made by the end of 2009 then the Commission
is prepared to seek a regulatory approach, it has not clarified
what it would consider to be "significant progress";
- the separate task forces of the European eCall
Implementation Platform, responsible for technical issues, have
yet to agree final specifications; and
- until these specifications are finalised and
it has had the opportunity to review them the Government is not
in a position to recommend a change to its current policy position
on eCall implementation.
9.9 Turning to the actions proposed under the Commission's
plan in its Communication the Minister says that:
All stakeholders will actively support the European
eCall Implementation Platform and its Task forces
- although the Government has not signed the MoU,
it welcomed the formation of the platform;
- government officials regularly attend the high
level meetings;
- the Government is currently considering the work
of the several task forces and plans to consider the work at a
meeting with UK stakeholders during late 2009 or early 2010;
All stakeholders will launch coordinated awareness
campaigns to increase the understanding of and demand for the
service
- Government policy is to support and encourage
the take-up by motorists of effective road safety technologies;
- to help achieve this it actively supports organisations
such as the eSafetyAware initiative, an organisation originally
established by the Commission to raise awareness of new safety
technologies;
- this organisation has the experience and links
to coordinate a Europe-wide awareness campaign which could be
supported and promoted within the UK;
- there are still a number of issues, however,
regarding the operation of a pan-European public eCall service
that need to be resolved before a functional system can be deployed;
- vehicle manufacturers will also need time to
incorporate systems in new vehicles — they have indicated
that a period of three years for a large scale roll-out would
be required once the functional specifications were finalised;
- it would therefore be premature to promote a
pan-European eCall system that may not be available to the public
for the foreseeable future;
- if progress on eCall is achieved in a shorter
timeframe and effective systems become available, the eSafetyAware
organisation has indicated that it could quickly support initiatives
to raise public awareness;
- there are many opportunities to raise consumer
awareness of, and demand for, effective safety systems —
the European New Car Assessment Programme (EuroNCAP)[31]
is an organisation that assesses the safety performance of new
cars and gives consumers a star rating depending on the performance
achieved;
- this initiative has proved very effective in
raising public awareness of vehicle safety and also encourages
manufacturers to exceed the minimum levels of safety required
by regulatory measures;
- the Government is actively involved with EuroNCAP
and its work to develop its ratings to reflect the benefits on
new advanced safety systems;
- the Government has no plans at present to launch
its own awareness campaign for pan-European eCall;
All stakeholders will carry out pre-deployment
pilots taking into account the standards being approved
- the Government recognises that pilot studies
can play a key role in addressing pre-deployment issues, especially
for new and advanced systems requiring multi-agency interactions;
- any such pilot should be based, however, on clearly
defined specifications and should be considered when the standards
and specifications for eCall technology are finalised;
- it is important to recognise that eCall deployment
involves many different areas of the public and private sector
and any such pilot will need agreement and co-operation between
the different stakeholders;
- the Government has not explored this in detail
but plans to do so at its planned UK stakeholder meeting;
The Commission Recommendation that Member States
target Mobile Network Operators on the transmission of eCall (including
the "minimum set of data" (MSD) from the in-vehicle
systems to the PSAPs)
- the Government recognises the important role
that the mobile network operators have in the correct function
of eCall;
- it is important, however, to recognise that the
mobile network is also only one part of the chain — any
actions required of the network will need to be considered along
with the final specification of the vehicle device and the requirements
of the answering point that receives the eCall;
- the GSM Association, the operator-led trade association
representing the global mobile industry, has signed the MoU and
produced a position paper indicating its willingness to support
a pan-European eCall;
- the full impact on UK mobile network operators
is unclear until the standards and specifications for eCall technology
are agreed — many of these are still being finalised and
are unlikely to be completed before mid-2010;
The Commission proposal for a Regulation under
the European vehicle type-approval legislation framework for the
mandatory introduction of the in-vehicle part of the eCall service
in new type approved vehicles in Europe.
- the Government is not supportive of mandatory
introduction of the in-vehicle part of the eCall service through
type approval to all new vehicles, unless there is a clear cost
benefit case for doing so;
- earlier UK work to examine the cost benefit case
for mandatory eCall deployment was inconclusive — the Government
will reconsider its position once the Commission's a further study
on eCall deployment, with the review of eCall deployment within
UK, is received;
The Commission's potential regulatory measure
for the necessary upgrading of the PSAP infrastructure required
for proper receipt and handling of eCalls, in the framework of
the proposed Directive on the deployment of ITS in Europe
- the Government acknowledges that the correct
receipt and handling of eCall is vital to achieve a fully functioning
pan-European eCall service and would welcome broad guidelines
on how this could be achieved at a national level;
- the measures necessary to upgrade and handle
eCalls may also vary significantly between different Member States
— a solution that is appropriate in France, for example,
may not be the best solution for the UK;
- the UK PSAP infrastructure already supports several
private eCall services but these utilise different technologies
to the system being developed by the Commission eCall group; and
- until all the standards and specifications for
eCall technology are finalised it is difficult to assess the impact
of this measure for the UK answering points.
9.10 Turning to the financial implications of the
Communication and an impact assessment the Minister says that:
- it has such implications for the UK in terms
of establishing the infrastructure and requires further discussions
with various stakeholders once systems specifications have been
finalised;
- in the UK one of the major costs resulting from
deployment of eCall would be the cost of the in-vehicle equipment
and it is likely that this would need to be met by the consumer;
- there are potential costs for mobile operators
that the Government anticipates they would have to meet;
- it would need to upgrade the emergency 999/112
call handling system;
- these additional costs will be explored in more
detail at the planned stakeholder meeting;
- the business case as presented is not sufficiently
detailed or robust to allow an impact assessment to be produced;
and
- further research by the Commission has been undertaken
to ascertain the potential impacts on the UK and the Government
will consider whether an assessment can be produced once it has
received and reviewed this latest study.
Conclusion
9.11 We have no questions to raise on this document
and we clear it from scrutiny. However, although eCall has the
potential to contribute to road safety, we commend the Government's
continued cautious approach to this issue, whilst so many unknowns
continue to make a proper impact assessment impossible.
24 (24592) 9713/03: see HC 63-xxviii (2002-03), chapter
11 (2 July 2003) and (24897) 12736/03 + ADD 1: HC 63-xxxiv (2002-03),
chapter 18 (22 October 2003). Back
25
(26616) 9758/05 + ADD 1: see HC 34-ii (2005-06), chapter 1 (13
July 2005) and Stg Co Deb, European Standing Committee
C, 8 November 2005, cols 3-22. Back
26
The MoU "is to secure the realisation of" eCall. It
is not legally binding "rather, it is an expression of the
individual and collective commitment of the signatories to work
in partnership in order to realise a shared objective to the benefit
of everyone". It "creates a framework for the introduction
of in-vehicle emergency call at all levels in the emergency call
chain". See http://europa.eu.int/information_society/activities/esafety/doc/esafety_library/mou/invehicle_ecall_mou.pdf Back
27
(26852) 12383/05 (28122) 15932/06: see HC 34-ix (2005-06), chapter
6 (9 November 2005), HC 41-ix (2006-07), chapter 3 (7 February
2007) and HC 16-vi (2007-08), chapter 11 (12 December 2007). Back
28
(30312) 17563/08 + ADDs 1-2 (30313) 17564/08 + ADDs 1-2: see HC
19-vii (2008-09), chapter 4 (11 February 2009) , HC 19-xi (2008-09),
chapter 6 (18 March 2009), HC 19-xix (2008-09), chapter 6 (10
June 2009), HC 19-xxii (2008-09), chapter 1 (1 July 2009) and
Stg Co Debs European Committee, 20 July 2009, cols. 3-14. Back
29
This Platform is the coordination body bringing together representatives
of the relevant stakeholders associations and of the National
Platforms. It aims to guide, coordinate and monitor the progress
of the implementation of the eCall service across Europe to ensure
a timely, effective and harmonised deployment of the eCall service
in Europe. See http://www.esafetysupport.org/en/ecall_toolbox/ecall_implementation_platform/.
Back
30
See footnote 28. Back
31
See http://www.euroncap.com/home.aspx.
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