The life-saving button you don’t know about in your car

This is an independent communication system that is not reliant on a cellular network, doesn’t require a SIM card, doesn’t involve monthly subscription fees, and is installed in every new car since 2018 – the SMS button in your car. More than a million cars are equipped with this button, which many drivers are unaware of.

The system originated in 1999 in Europe, when the proposal was first made to equip vehicles with a button that enables communication in emergency situations. However, years passed before the technology and regulatory moves allowed for its implementation, and after various delays, it entered operational use.

The first to implement it was Slovenia in 2015, followed by Italy two years later. Simultaneously, during that time, the Transportation Ministry in Israel, then under Minister Israel Katz, also became involved. The Transportation Ministry mandates that new cars arriving in the country since 1998 must be equipped with it, with the operation and infrastructure of the system managed by Magen David Adom, the national rescue service. They understand both the need and the critical nature of the system, and also that this understanding must be part of the organization’s control and oversight interface.

In practice, this system has also been integrated into Israel as a requirement for inclusion in every new car since April 2018. However, it should be clarified that this requirement does not include every new car hitting the roads, but rather those cars seeking certification in Israel. This means that there are cars that were presented or received certification before the system became legally mandatory, and they are exempt from the system. Some of them are still sold today as new.

In cars where the system is installed, it actually consists of three main components – the first is the SOS button, usually located at the top of the passenger compartment, on the vehicle's ceiling near where the overhead light is found. The second component is a series of sensors that respond in the event of an accident. The third component is a GPS-based communication unit that essentially enables the emergency call to be made.

“At the moment the button is pressed or based on indications from sensors in the vehicle, a call is opened at the MDA center,” explains Ido Rosenblat, the director of the Communications Division at MDA. “In addition to the call, it includes additional data such as location and information about the type of vehicle, the mechanism of the accident, and the type of injury.”

The information received at the moment the call is opened contains some of the most critical components for rescue forces to understand the nature of the event in advance. Additional data includes the number of passengers in the vehicle based on the number of seatbelts and airbags that have deployed, whether it is a private or commercial vehicle, and whether it is a gas-powered or electric vehicle, for example. In this aspect, it’s important to note that the interface is also shared with the fire service, which often plays a significant role in extricating individuals from vehicles after an accident.

The communication component itself, it is important to note, is not based on regular cellular communication, so it does not require a SIM card. The communication itself relies on capabilities that exist in the car and is not fundamentally different from the capabilities available in any mobile device capable of making emergency calls without a SIM card or subscription to a cellular network, regardless of cellular coverage at the specific location.

The system has proven to be effective even in cases of GPS disruptions, as has been activated in various regions of the country during recent months of conflict. The ability to make an initiated call, even without the driver pressing the button based on indications from those impact sensors, is also of immense significance. In cases where individuals are trapped or passengers cannot access the button, the emergency center initiates the call back to the vehicle and receives an update on the situation from the passengers.

According to data from Europe, the use of the system can reduce the emergency response time by 40% in urban areas and by 50% in intercity areas, thanks to the precise location data of the vehicle after the accident, and the quick notification of the event – much faster than that which would come from the involved drivers or bystanders.

MDA also supports this assessment, as Rosenblat explains: “This is a system that unequivocally saves lives; the reaction time of a driver or passenger involved in a traffic accident is relatively long, 4 minutes in daylight and almost double that in darkness. For context, this is the arrival time of an immediate response operator or ambulance crew to the scene in most cases. From data comparisons, we learned that with the system, this happens in seconds.”

And what about curious presses by users who don’t understand the system's purpose? “We receive hundreds of calls a month, thousands a year. Although about 90% of them are classified as false calls, this is something we deal with, because the return in cases where genuine calls lead to saving lives is worth it.” The critical time perception in reaching hospitals is referred to in professional jargon as the “golden hour” – this is the timeframe in which the speed of arrival for optimal medical treatment in the hospital is a critical factor in the chances of saving the injured in cases of critical injury.

So the next time you get into your car, look for the button, recognize it, and just as importantly – inform your family about its life-saving use.