European 112 Day
A number that saves lives: Don't waste time searching in an emergency
Anyone who needs to make an emergency call within the EU only has to remember one number – 112. It has been in use in all EU member states for many years. However, as too many people are still unaware of this, February 11 is “European 112 Day.” DEKRA supports efforts to raise awareness of the universal emergency number.
- The emergency number 112 is used throughout the EU and beyond
- Many countries on other continents also use this number
- Emergency services play an important role in Vision Zero
“In an emergency, every second counts,” says DEKRA accident researcher Markus Egelhaaf. “Whether it's a fire, a domestic accident, or a road crash, it is important to notify the emergency services as quickly as possible. If you have the emergency number in your head, you won't waste any time. Since 112 has been used uniformly throughout the EU, this applies not only at home but also when traveling abroad.”
In road traffic in particular, improvements in emergency services over the past decades have made an important contribution to reducing the number of fatalities – in addition to improvements in vehicle technology and infrastructure, as well as efforts to address the human factor. “The faster emergency services are notified after a traffic accident, the more lives can be saved,” says the DEKRA expert. “A well-functioning emergency response system plays an important role in ‘Vision Zero’, the goal of road traffic without fatalities and serious injuries. The introduction of the 112-based automatic emergency call in modern vehicles was an important step in this direction.”
All new vehicle models registered in the EU since April 2018 must be equipped with this e-call system. After a serious accident, it automatically establishes a phone connection from the vehicle to the emergency call center and simultaneously transmits a minimum set of data – the exact position of the vehicle, the time of the accident, the vehicle identification number, and the direction of travel. “This data enables the emergency services to respond quickly, even if no one in the vehicle is able to speak to the control center.”
The standard emergency number 112 is a major simplification for both e-call and normal phone calls: “No matter where I am in the EU, it is always clear which number I need to call in an emergency,” says DEKRA accident researcher Markus Egelhaaf. “Provided I know that this standardization exists.”
In some cases, the standard emergency number is used in addition to other national emergency numbers. In all EU countries, 112 connects to a control center staffed around the clock by trained personnel, who either dispatch emergency services directly or forward the call to the appropriate control center. The standard emergency number is not only used in the EU; other European countries such as the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, Russia, and Ukraine are also following suit. In many countries outside Europe, too, 112 is becoming increasingly widespread as an emergency number.