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Vehicle Emergency System Coming On Line

Once Era-Glonass becomes functional, drivers in distress will have more options when they need a helping hand. Vladimir Filonov

A national emergency response network for automobiles that is based on the Glonass satellite navigation system will begin next year and be installed in all new vehicles beginning in 2017, the project’s manager said Wednesday.

There's a chance that new vehicles in the two other customs union members, Belarus and Kazakhstan, will also be obligated to run the system, said Alexander Gurko, chief of Nonprofit Partnership Glonass, Interfax reported.

“Technical regulations of the customs unions were passed a month ago. They require the gradual equipping of various types of vehicles [with Glonass] starting in October 2014,” he said.

A bill in the State Duma seeks to regulate the interaction of the participants of the new project, which is called Era-Glonass, he said.

“We hope the bill will soon come up for a first reading in the Duma,” he said.

As part of Era-Glonass, several regional information centers are being created throughout the country, while navigation and information centers of the first and second tiers are also being created in the country's regions.

“The work to build this infrastructure will be completed by the end of 2013,” Gurko said.

In addition, by the end of this year, Era-Glonass will fully cover transportation corridors, thereby allowing an emergency signal to be sent from all federal highways, he said.

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