Rapid assistance in many holiday countries

At BMW, the future has been on board for ten yearsMunich. In Germany it takes an average ten to 15 minutes for the first emergency vehicle to arrive - provided the emergency call is made immediately after the accident and includes an accurate description of the location. Yet in 30 percent of all accidents, those involved don't know precisely where they are. This applies particularly when they are on holiday, on a business trip or on some remote road. BMW already responded to this ten years ago, since when it has offered an emergency call function by which the vehicle automatically alerts the BMW call centre and transmits its exact GPS location data. This operates not just in Germany, but also in popular holiday destinations such as Austria, Italy and, very soon, France and Switzerland as well. "Our experience shows time and again that, especially on less frequented roads and also after dark, for example, cars involved in an accident are often only spotted by other road users by chance and therefore much too late. In cases like these in particular, the automatic emergency call function with its accurate transfer of position and vehicle data can be lifesaving," says Gerhard Kleeberger, head of the Bavarian Red Cross emergency services centre in Straubing.