Three-quarters of SOS button presses considered false alarms

A report by the RAC Foundation has found that around three-quarters of SOS button presses are false alarms, while the remainder resulted in a connection to the emergency services.

eCall systems, which send a voice call and a data packet to emergency services following an accident, have been mandatory in all new car and light goods vehicle models since April 2018.

The systems are activated automatically following an accident, or manually through pressing an SOS button in the vehicle’s interior.

When activated, the systems direct the call to 999 or a third-party service provider, which connect the driver to emergency services if necessary.

The report found that 85% of eCall alerts in 2024 were triggered through SOS buttons, with the majority of these not resulting in a connection to emergency services, therefore being considered false alarms.

These false alarms were likely triggered by a vehicle occupant accidentally pressing the button, a dealership demonstrating the system, or faults caused by water ingress.

Of the eCall alerts triggered automatically, a third were considered false alarms and two thirds were connected to emergency services.

Automatic false alarms can be triggered by harsh speed bump impacts, or battery depletion.