The European Union has ironed out privacy concerns in a proposed law that would make it mandatory for vehicles to have systems that automatically call emergency services in case of a crash.

Called “eCall”, the system would enable an audio channel between vehicles and emergency services via a public mobile wireless communications network that would be triggered automatically by sensors in the event of an accident. The system, which would be dormant when the vehicle is being used, could also be triggered manually and is designed to also send data to emergency services.

It would also enable emergency services to decide immediately which type of rescue operation is needed, helping them to arrive faster and potentially saving 2,500 lives a year while reducing the severity of injuries and cutting the costs of traffic jams, according to the European Parliament.

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