One of the founders of specialist eCall consultancy and software company VESOS Solutions has described the granting of further research money to develop its TeCall solution as a major opportunity to save lives on our roads.
VESOS is one of six projects receiving grants from National Highways through the Connected Places Catapult to trial its TeCall software, which harvests eCall data automatically sent after collisions. eCall is automatically activated in the event of an incident when the airbags are deployed.
VESOS has developed TeCall to deliver faster responses and detailed information using the data collated from eCall-enabled vehicles, which includes almost every new car and van sold in the UK since 2018. TeCall almost instantly provides emergency services and highway operators with enhanced information detailing a vehicle’s exact location, the vehicle make and model and its propulsion type. This also potentially includes other data such as wheelchair adapted vehicles, indicating vulnerable people, that enables the emergency services and road operators to respond more effectively and better prepared. It also filters false alarms.
During the trial, TeCall output will be fused with corresponding National Highways and INRIX data to measure its effectiveness and analyse improvements in response times.
“On rural roads, where statistically 63% of annual road deaths occur, the automatic sharing of the exact location will assist emergency services to attend within the “platinum 15 minutes” for trauma interventions,” explained VESOS co-founder Danny Woolard. “Before heading to a collision, police, firefighters, paramedics and doctors will be better prepared, knowing what vehicle they will find – for example an electric vehicle – and where exactly they need to go. By using TeCall, responders will get to crashes quicker and better prepared and I am convinced that this will save lives.”
VESOS is run by four connected vehicle experts. Mr Woolard, along with Andy Rooke, Andy Graham and Alan Gentle, formed the first dedicated company for analysing and processing eCall data to create validated incident alerts. The company also consults on implementation and business cases for eCall, as well as strategic advice and data analysis.
(Picture – VESOS)
