Company vehicle drivers’ lives could be saved thanks to a ground-breaking service that enables a vehicle to automatically alert incident managers when it is involved in a collision.

It means the fleet industry is effectively leading the way with a potentially life-saving service as talks between the European Commission (EC) and the UK Government over the adoption of eCall continue to drag on.

In an eCall-equipped vehicle, an emergency call with location information would be triggered automatically when the vehicle is involved in a crash.

However, despite 20 European countries signing a memorandum of understanding to implement the scheme, the Department of Transport said the benefits of the system could not justify the expense.

The EC is still looking to make the eCall mandatory by 2014.

But now a system from Incident Support Group (ISG) will provide an effective alternative, with added benefits.

Called ISG Sense, it uses impact sensors, telematics and black box technology to directly contact ISG staff when a vehicle is involved in an accident.

Accident management staff can then contact the driver within seconds and, if necessary, the emergency services ensuring an effective and efficient response.

Research shows that some six in ten mobile emergency callers cannot say where they are, while people involved in car crashes may not be able to make a call at all.

“As soon as a car is involved in a collision ISG staff are notified by emergency text message, email and the monitoring screen will flash red,” explained Gareth Wakefield, managing director of ISG. “We can then look at the data which will reveal details about the impact and contact the vehicle, and if necessary the emergency services.”

In addition to providing a rapid response to a potentially serious situation, ISG Sense aims to reduce costs. As soon as the incident has taken place, details can be captured and any appropriate action can be taken immediately.

“By being proactive we allow an insurer to contact any non-fault parties quickly and efficiently, reducing the claim costs that might be incurred by the insurer,” explained Wakefield. “Self-insured fleets also benefit from this proactive approach.”

In addition, ISG Sense allows a fleet operator to measure fuel consumption, excess speed and driver behaviour to help reduce overall fleet costs for an average monthly cost of £12 per unit, dependent on fleet size.

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