All new car models sold in the EU are to be equipped with eCall technology from March 31, 2018 under a draft endorsed by the European Parliament (MEPs) on Tuesday.
The draft was approved in Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee of the EP by 26 votes to 3.
This technology uses the 112 emergency number to call rescue services automatically, enabling them to reach crash scenes faster and thus save lives and reduce the severity of injuries, according to the press release of the EP.
The rules will be put to a vote by EP as a whole, and thus become final, at the second plenary session in April in Strasbourg.
"I warmly welcome the EU member states' agreement on type-approval requirements for fitting eCall devices in new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. ", said rapporteur Olga Sehnalova.
"Now it is up to the European Parliament as a whole to vote to ensure that the 112-based eCall service is deployed across Europe, so that EU citizens get its safety benefits. The outcome of today's committee vote paves the way for it to do so," rapporteur Olga Sehnalova said.