If you buy a modern car, you’ll see that it usually has a dedicated eCall or SOS button. On new cars, you’ll usually find them on the ceiling, next to the dome lights and the rearview mirror. These SOS buttons were made mandatory in the UK and EU in 2018, and they’re often found in American cars too.

What are car SOS buttons for?

As with call buttons from providers like https://www.dinggly.com/products/wireless-call-buttons/, SOS buttons are used for safety purposes. SOS buttons are basically used to connect occupants of a car to a call centre in case of an emergency. They can also be activated by pressing the button. To avoid accidental triggers, some cars include protective SOS button covers that need to be removed first, and other buttons have to be pressed for several seconds before a call goes through. This limits accidental triggers.

How do SOS buttons work?

The system first detects whether the airbags in the car have been released, which happens in an accident. If so, the car’s connected system immediately launches a call to a service centre. This automatic technology is incredibly powerful. Research by the US NHTSA found that automatic connection technologies after serious crash incidents save up to 721 lives a year in America alone.

The button can also be manually pressed to confirm that you want to use the car’s infotainment screen to make a call. It’s important that drivers only use these for emergency services, rather than for breakdowns. Some cars have separate buttons to report breakdowns.