Imagine you can still taste the delicious flavors of the dinner that you just enjoyed at a cozy restaurant in the French Alps. Your partner dozes off as you drive along the quiet, dark road back to your hotel in a nearby village. You reflect on how well your European road trip has been going since leaving the UK. The journey through the Channel Tunnel and down to the French Alps was problem-free. Tomorrow your itinerary takes you through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to begin the next leg of your tour - through Italy.
Suddenly disaster strikes! A car is heading toward you at great speed - in the middle of the road. You swerve... After regaining consciousness you discover your partner injured and your car stuck in a ditch. The other vehicle is nowhere to be seen. The road is dark and deserted and the nearest town a few kilometers away. You stagger out of the car, dazed and confused, and come to the realization that you must find your mobile phone and call for help. You call the operator but the person on the other end is speaking French and you can't understand a word or make yourself understood.
Then you remember... Luckily, you had done some research and were aware of the new '112' European-wide emergency number - and that a SIM card is necessary to access the service in most European countries. You programmed 112 into your mobile phone before leaving home. You make the call and the operator - hearing the panic in your voice - quickly switches to speaking English. You can't give your exact position, but in most places caller location can be identified quickly. Help is on the way!
In this situation, would you be thinking clearly enough to remember that in France the numbers to call in an emergency are 15, 17 and 18, and in the UK 999? (Note: the usual emergency numbers for most European countries and territories are still in effect - and work alongside the 112). Any payphone, fixed phone or mobile phone can be used to make a free 112 emergency call. However, in an effort to stop hoax calls, some European countries (including the UK, Belgium and France) block 112 calls from a mobile phone without a SIM card.
The 112 and other emergency numbers are for emergency services only - to summon help from ambulance, fire brigade or police services. We all know (don't we?) that they must never be used for any non-urgent reasons, such as finding a lost contact lens or pet, removing a stubborn cork from a nice bottle of Claret, or summoning a lift home if all the taxi cabs are booked!
When planning a trip, the not-so-fun part involves taking care of necessary details like visas, vaccinations, currency exchange - and choosing the best travel insurance policy to suit your needs. If taking your own car you'll need European breakdown cover and your license, registration and insurance documents. Remember to check that your mobile phone is set for roaming in Europe.
Travel insurance policies come with a number to call for emergency medical assistance. It's unlikely that you will have the policy with you if an emergency situation arises, so keep a note of the number in your wallet or bag and enter it into your mobile phone directory; the same goes for Vehicle Breakdown assistance.
Ensure that each person in your travel party is aware of the 112 emergency number. In the scenario above, the details of your travel insurance or European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) would have been requested upon arrival at the hospital. You would also need to call the emergency assistance number associated with your Vehicle Breakdown cover.
Pass the word along to family, friends, colleagues, and backpackers heading for Europe. It's simply not worth cutting corners by neglecting to take out travel insurance or breakdown cover. Chances are that you will never need any of those emergency numbers, but considering the recorded 100 million emergency calls in Europe each year, isn't it better to be prepared? Those three little numbers '112' are a lifeline - an SOS - and they DO save lives!
