The ConnectedDrive system now offers a new service called the BMW Advanced eCall. The BMW Advanced eCall is designed to provide the emergency services with detailed information about the type of collision and injuries in case of a crash probability even before they arrive on the scene of an accident. This gives them the possibility to prepare better for the situation.
The BMW Advanced eCall tells the emergency services whether or not the victims require medical assistance. The new service has been developed in collaboration with the largest trauma center in the USA (William Lehman Injury Research Center, WLIRC)
The BMW Advanced eCall is now available in Germany, Austria and Italy for all models except the BMW 7 Series, Z4 and X3.
BMW Press Release:
Following a road accident, the number one priority is to provide prompt and appropriate assistance. Innovative technology from BMW helps to ensure the rescue services are notified as quickly and accurately as possible following a collision. Now, based on the latest development advances in this field, a new system is going into production. BMW ConnectedDrive's Advanced eCall system is designed to give the emergency services even more detailed information about the type of collision
and injury probability even before they arrive on the scene of an accident, so that they can prepare as soon as possible to provide appropriate medical assistance.
In Germany it takes an average ten to 15 minutes after an accident has been reported for the emergency services to arrive on the scene. For an optimal response, the alert must be given promptly and must include an exact description of the accident location. This led BMW to equip its first vehicles with an automatic emergency call function as long ago as 1997. In the meantime, more than 500,000 vehicles are now equipped with
this system, which was developed within the framework of the BMW ConnectedDrive concept. As part of BMW Assist, the BMW emergency call function can be used in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Canada, the USA, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Australia, and so far has helped to ensure speedy assistance in more than 25,000 cases worldwide. As well as transmitting the exact location data following a collision, BMW's emergency call system also supplies key vehicle data that allows the BMW call center to identify the vehicle in question. The call center then passes the details on to the nearest emergency services, allowing the rescue team to save valuable
time which in extreme cases could mean the difference between life and death.
More precise data means more appropriate assistance
The new-generation Advanced eCall supplies even more detailed information in the early stages of the rescue operation. Data supplied by the vehicle's on-board sensors is evaluated, shedding light on the type of collision that has occurred and the likelihood of injury. Alerted by the BMW call center, the rescuers therefore know in good time where the accident took place, what vehicle was involved and also, thanks to Advanced eCall, the probable extent of occupant injury. In this way a speedy and appropriate rescue operation can be launched.
The results obtained by evaluating the data from BMW ConnectedDrive's Advanced eCall function give the emergency services an early indication whether and to what extent accident victims are likely to require medical assistance. Statistics show that currently, in a third of road accidents in Germany, an emergency physician has to be called in when personnel are already on the scene, because the victims' injuries prove more serious than was first expected. With BMW's Advanced eCall system, on the other hand, accidents involving a risk of serious injury can be rapidly identified.
Developed by BMW accident research engineers in cooperation with the largest trauma center in the USA (William Lehman Injury Research Center, WLIRC)
To form as precise a picture as possible of what happened in an accident, and what injuries may have resulted, BMW's Advanced eCall takes into account a wide range of relevant data. Numerous sensors distributed around the vehicle, e.g. airbag sensors and front seat and seatbelt sensors, shed light on the type of collision and the resulting probability of injury. The deployment status of all the various restraint systems in the vehicle is ascertained, along with seat occupancy and seatbelt status for the front seats. This information makes it possible to identify and differentiate frontal, rear, side and multiple collisions. And if a roll-over has occurred, this is identified and reported in the same way and at the same time. The vehicle data is analysed using a special algorithm jointly developed by the BMW accident research team and the WLIRC.
The incoming vehicle data, interpreted using the algorithm, provides a detailed picture of the accident situation. Based on this, a message containing the accident location and vehicle data is sent by the BMW call center to the relevant emergency services, who can then launch an efficient, appropriate and immediate rescue operation.
Advanced eCall now available for all BMW models
The Advanced eCall function forms part of the BMW Assist telematics service and is available as of now in Germany, Austria and Italy for all BMW models apart from the 7 Series, Z4 and X3. Further countries will follow in 2008.
About BMW ConnectedDrive
BMW combines individual online, assistance and service systems in the vehicle under the overall concept of ConnectedDrive. These are services that can be directly accessed using the navigation system or phone and they make a significant contribution to the enhancement of comfort and safety. For example, BMW Assist accesses the latest traffic information and provides a personal information service, alongside the emergency call function. Any data requested on restaurants, cinemas or hotels can be incorporated directly in the BMW navigation system as a destination. Internet-based services such as calling up share prices, weather reports and free parking spaces come under BMW Online. The vehicle uses BMW TeleServices to contact a BMW Service Partner automatically when it needs a service.
Further information is available online at www.bmw.com/connecteddrive.
