Enhancing Duty of Care with eCall
WORDS BY INTELEMATICS
According to the latest research , enhancing driver safety is one of the highest priorities for Fleet Managers and Operators ( FMOs ). AfMA data shows an 18 per cent increase in safety as a priority for fleet managers from 2022 to 2024 . An advancement in achieving this goal is eCall . While proven in Europe , adoption in Australia has been slow . But as more fleets bring focus to driver welfare , and more vehicles become connected , eCall is poised to revolutionise fleet management here too .
eCall has been mandated by the European Union for all new vehicles since 2018 . This has led to its adoption in fleets . For FMOs , this shift has enabled them to provide a better duty of care to their drivers and to more efficiently manage vehicles involved in crashes .
eCall provides peace of mind to both employees and drivers – knowing they are supported by proven connected vehicle technology . eCall in Australia
The benefits of eCall are gaining traction in Australia . Toyota and Lexus have made eCall widely available to its customers since 2020 as part of their connected services platforms . These bring together Stolen Vehicle Tracking and eCall services – including Automatic Collision Notification and SOS Emergency Call .
International evidence shows that eCall can halve incident emergency response times . This is time that falls within the ‘ Golden Hour ’ of emergency response when each additional minute is critical . According to the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics , there have been 1,327 road deaths in Australia ( in the twelve months up to July 2024 ). In part , this is why ANCAP is seeking to promote eCall in its safety rating scheme from 2026 .
The majority of Australian fleets rely on manual notifications . This process is inefficient due to delays and miscommunication of critical information including the time and location of
10 ISSUE 48 AUGUST 2024 / WWW . AFMA . ORG . AU