Expected Effect of Adopting the eCall System on Reducing Traffic-Related Deaths and Social Costs

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop an eCall system that can accurately assess the scene of a traffic accident and to analyze the expected effect of the system through integrated demonstrations. The eCall system was designed to collect information requested by emergency response agencies, such as location history immediately before and after an accident, the severity of injuries, and in-vehicle image information. In this study, an eCall in-vehicle system (IVS) was installed in service vehicles, including taxis, fire trucks, and research team members' cars. Moreover, an eCall center was set up to relay information to emergency response agencies. The results of integrated demonstration tests indicated that the communication success rate between the eCall IVS and the call center was 99.25%, and the mean location information error was 1.2 m. In addition, this study analyzed the amount of time required for an accident victim to arrive at a hospital when the eCall system was implemented, based on 10 years of traffic accident data, and found that he or she would get there approximately 3 min earlier.