I found that you can play with the new Octavia on the Skoda configurator and looking at the equipment list, this comes up in all specs:

• Emergency call system (for NAR) (telematics 1 permanent installation plus mobile phone)
  

I'm guessing this is the new EU thing that automatically calls the emergency services if it thinks you have crashed. Or for the paranoid, a permanent GPS tracker that can later be programmed to automatically report your driving offences.

I wonder if it will be removable?

BMW's have this, I went to an RTC where the guys new 5 series had automatically dialled 999 after the crash, he didn't know it was a feature and was quite suprised! "my car called you!" he said lol....

My step-mum has just got a Ford B-max 1.0 L ecoboost.

It has the emergency call feature on it so if she's in a crash it calls 999 automatically.

You can also press a button to do it- like a panic button I suppose.

It's a good idea I think. If you crash and pass out etc on a quiet country road nobody would know.

There was a woman found in a car in a ditch and they thought she had been there a couple of days. She had gone down the ditch, passed out and nobody could see the car. She died unfortunately so this system could have potentially saved her life.

Phil

There was a woman found in a car in a ditch and they thought she had been there a couple of days. She had gone down the ditch, passed out and nobody could see the car. She died unfortunately so this system could have potentially saved her life.

Far more common than you think, especailly on motorways through rural areas. I guess a lot will depend on how the sensors determine a collision etc. A head-on at 50, full roll. Certainly. shunt at 10 or a simple towing might result in a lot of unhappy blue lights.

Far more common than you think, especailly on motorways through rural areas. I guess a lot will depend on how the sensors determine a collision etc. A head-on at 50, full roll. Certainly. shunt at 10 or a simple towing might result in a lot of unhappy blue lights.

Could be whether the air-bags have deployed or not.

Could be whether the air-bags have deployed or not.

I think that's what the ford garage told her. If the crash is bad enough for the airbags to deploy it will call.

Phil

Seems a sensible system especially for those who drive on their own alot.

Remember seeing a TV programme with it on - might have been Fifth Gear?

I wonder if it will be removable?

Surely it depends on you having a mobile phone paired? Just turn off your phone. Job done.

From Euroncap:

Ford SYNC Emergency Assistance can be turned off by the driver. If it is turned off, it remains off but the driver is informed at the start of a journey that the system is not active. The system will not work if the driver’s mobile phone is not connected via Bluetooth. Equally, if the driver should forget his mobile phone, the system cannot work. However, in this case, a warning is given to the driver that a previously synchronised phone has not been detected.

Ford SYNC Emergency Assistance relies on the mobile phone having an adequate network signal. However, 112 calls are given priority across all mobile operator networks so it is unlikely that the phone will be unable to connect.

Surely it depends on you having a mobile phone paired? Just turn off your phone. Job done.

The module will almost certainly have its own GPRS modem. My company builds similar things and they're pretty much system on chip with the whole lot together.

My only real interest in turning it off is that I don't want it to call in if the airbags are set by accident, or some other minor thing. I wonder, do these systems show on the screen that they will call the emergency services and you get a countdown or something?

Wow - Impressive, I didn't know this!

The module will almost certainly have its own GPRS modem. My company builds similar things and they're pretty much system on chip with the whole lot together.

I still think it relies on the paired phone to connect.

Your first post had a fairly big clue:

Emergency call system (for NAR) (telematics 1 permanent installation plus mobile phone)