Thousands of emergency calls made from cars and vans using the eCall safety system have been triggered unnecessarily, with new research showing widespread false alarms and looming technical failures.
Since 2018, more than 350,000 eCall alerts have been made in the UK, with figures for 2024 revealing that over 85% of calls were triggered manually and three-quarters of those were false alarms. Even among automatic activations, around a third proved unnecessary. Taken together, roughly two-thirds of all calls made last year were raised in error, according to a report by the RAC Foundation.
The research, ‘Spoiler Alert: Is the eCall emergency alerting system fulfilling its road safety promise?’, by Dr Nick Reed of Reed Mobility, also highlights a growing risk that as many as four million cars and vans fitted with older versions of eCall could soon stop working. These systems rely on 2G and 3G mobile phone networks that are being phased out, leaving vehicles unable to automatically raise emergency alerts.
While praising the system as a “great idea” with the potential to save lives, particularly in remote areas, RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding warned that the study exposes “serious shortcomings.” He stressed that urgent action is needed to ensure data is handled more effectively and to tackle the reliance on outdated mobile technology.
Gooding added that the high number of manual false alarms suggests many drivers remain unfamiliar with how the system works. He believes eCall could play a vital role in improving motorway safety, especially by providing swift notification of vehicles stranded in live lanes, but only if its reliability improves.
The report identified frequent causes of manual false alarms, including accidental button presses, poor interface design, system faults and even demonstration use at dealerships. It also concluded that emergency responders often receive insufficient data, despite eCall being designed to transmit vital information such as vehicle type and location.
Reed argued that more of this information should also be shared with road network operators like National Highways, so they can better manage traffic and alert drivers to hazards. He said that with the system’s potential to reduce road deaths by 5%, fixing its flaws and ensuring reliable operation is essential to delivering its promised safety benefits.
