Researchers in Germany have devised a technology which activates the horns of parked cars in case of disaster. The technology is based on the eCall emergency system which new cars will be equipped with from September 2010.The eCall system was developed at the initiative of the EU Commission to help reduce the number of road traffic fatalities. It consists of a GPS sensor and a mobile phone component, activated only in case of an accident (that is, when the airbags are triggered) and which can transmit data (for example, accident time, coordinates and driving direction of the vehicle) to an emergency call centre. Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INT researchers found that this infrastructure can also be used to warn the population. Once the cars are equipped with a radio receiver, their horns can be triggered in case of disaster. Guido Huppertz from the INT has worked on the system and explains the advantages of honking cars. 'All hitherto suggested solutions such as mobile phones or smoke detectors only inform the respective device user. The entire population can only be informed if 100 percent are equipped with these devices. 'The INT suggestion has a clear statistical advantage - a mere 14 percent of the registered vehicles are sufficient to provide extensive alarming, says a release of the Fraunhofer Institute. If all new vehicles are equipped with eCall from the end of next year, the warning system may be ready for use after an establishment phase of two to four years, Huppertz predicts.
The New Indian Express, 13th August 2009
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