BMW's optional eCall system is a very good move ahead in terms of motorcycle safety
BMW are taking a significant step forward towards making motorcycling a bit safer by introducing their new Intelligent Emergency Call (IEC) system on BMW motorcycles. The system, which will be offered as an option on BMW motorcycles from early 2017, will get help the scene of an accident and/or other emergency scenario as quickly as possible, thereby saving lives. In a pan-European study conducted in 2011, it was concluded that vehicles equipped with emergency call systems (eCall) were able to summon help to the scene of an accident 40-50% faster than vehicles without any such system. In fact, eCall will become mandatory for all new cars sold in Europe from 2018, so there's no reason why bikes also shouldn't have a similar system.
In the case of an emergency or an accident, BMW's IEC system, which is either automatically or manually triggered, sends out the position data (coordinates of the motorcycle accident site) to a BMW Call Center, which then immediately initiates the rescue chain. The bike's current position, as well as information for determining the direction of travel are transmitted, to simplify locating the motorcyclist in hard-to-find locations.

eCall requires a connection to the mobile phone network in order to trigger the rescue chain. In BMW's IEC, the connection is established via the mobile communication unit that's permanently installed ...