The 110 centers will stop accepting Ecall messages – almost all of them are false alarms

Ecall is a system that will ensure that the emergency services are notified automatically if a car ends up in an accident.

– Most of the calls take a short time to determine that they are not real emergency calls, but there are so many of them that even if each call only takes a minute, we use a lot of capacity to answer them, says general manager Øyvind Arntzen in Øst 110 central to digi.no.

In a report, the Directorate for Social Security and Preparedness (DSB) proposes that the hospitals’ AMK centers should receive Ecall messages in the future, after a hired service provider has filtered out false and unnecessary calls.

Since 2018, Ecall has been mandatory in all new cars. The volume of messages has increased steadily in line with the introduction. More than 70 percent of all Ecall messages the 110 centers have to handle are due to drivers believing they can get regular roadside assistance when they press the Ecall button.

– If we can’t get in touch with the driver, then we have to send an emergency vehicle to check. 46 of the around 2,300 Ecall calls that came in to East 110 central last year led to an emergency call, says Arntzen.

Throughout Norway, incorrect Ecall calls led to 96 unnecessary Ecall calls and seven canceled calls in 2023.