Will motorcycle eCall become mandatory? EU claims eCall saves lives

European Parliament adopted the legislation on eCall type-approval requirements at the end of April 2015 and made eCall mandatory for all new car models from April 2018. What about motorcycle eCall and motorcycle safety?

The automated eCall system will decrease the response time of emergency services by instantly providing accurate information in the event of an accident. The studies performed by the EU authorities suggest that the eCall system could save up to 2500 lives among car drivers each year in the EU alone.

The basic idea behind the eCall legislation is to set standards and procedures. That will allow easy integration of same and similar solutions, that will be available on the aftermarket. For older cars as well, so you could upgrade your existing car for more safety. It would make sense to include the motorcycle eCall and motorcycle safety into account at the same time. Especially since they represent a significant percentage of traffic occupants.

It is not a secret that the motorcycle industry somehow always tends to be one step behind the car industry. But does this mean that the idea of eCall will apply to new motorcycles as well in the near future?

Well, some manufacturers, BMW being one of the OEMs that already presented the first motorcycle eCall solutions. At BMW they already put a lot of thought into it. It somehow seems that the idea of bringing this solution to the two-wheeled world is not yet ripe enough that the legislative bodies would take action and equip motorcycles with this safety technology.

It seems that technology is ready to be integrated into motorcycles. Common sense, as well as performed studies, have shown that a better response time saves more lives. So aren’t we increasing motorcycle safety as well? It might seem reasonable to think, that car drivers take the primary role. There are significantly more drivers than riders and more cars than motorcycles.

In my personal opinion, this change should better happen sooner than later. If it increases motorcycle safety without taking away the fun of riding and could help when help is needed, I would appreciate this kind of change and would be willing to consider investing into such a solution for my safety as well.

How do you feel about it? Would you promote the idea of equipping motorcycles with eCall or are you rather against it? Do you believe it could increase motorcycle safety enough to make an effort worth it?

Share your thoughts with us and ride safe!