The obligation to place all new cars and small trucks in the European Union on the eCall system has come into force on 31st March, the Italian Ajgi agency reported.

The iCall system is a new device that, in case of a delay caused by an accident, automatically calls the 112 emergency number that is valid for all 28 EU member states.

Sensors in the car will automatically report its location, the exact time and direction it traveled during the incident.

The impulse can also be manually activated by pressing the corresponding button on the dashboard.

The iCall device became mandatory with EU Regulation 2015/758 in the context of measures to reduce the number of road deaths by 2020, French Automobile magazine reported.

In the year 2016, 25,500 people died in road accidents in Europe, and 135,000 were seriously injured.