TheEuropean
Commissionis planning a raft of new
technologies to make cars safer and greener.
It will start talks later this year with the European and Asian
automotive industry associations to discuss its proposals.
They are looking for agreement to installing
eCall in all new
vehicles from 2010, which will bring rapid assistance to motorists
involved in crashes by employing a hardware black box installed in
the car. The box will wirelessly send airbag deployment and impact
sensor information, as well as GPS coordinates to local emergency
agencies.
The commission hopes to negotiate on
Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which is a term for systems
designed to improve a vehicle's handling, particularly at the
limits where the driver might lose control.
It will also hold a consultation this year on whether fitting
braking assistance and crash avoidance systems should be obligatory
for all cars. It says sensors will give drivers half a second more
warning ahead of a crash and could reduce rear-end collisions by
60%.
In addition, the commission is working to quantify the effect
ICT could have in reducing carbon emissions from road transport,
and looking at installing the most effective low-CO2
technologies.
Finally, it is continuing to fund research into smart
communications for safer and more efficient transport.
Viviane Reding, EU commissioner for the information society and
media, said, "Technology can save lives, improve road transport and
protect the environment.
"For example, making sure radio frequencies are available for
cooperative driving systems that will cut accidents, reduce
congestion and lower CO2 emissions."
Jacques Barrot, commissioner for transport, said, "The
commission is pushing to ensure that cutting edge technology finds
its way into our cars as soon as possible."