ERA-GLONASS and the Business of Saving Lives
Starting in 2026, Russian driving schools will teach future drivers how to save their own lives. Training on the ERA-GLONASS emergency response system will become a mandatory part of the national driver education curriculum.
A new standard for driver training
Beginning March 1, 2026, all prospective drivers in Russia will be required to complete formal training on how the ERA-GLONASS emergency alert system works. The new topic will be added to the “Vehicle Design” section of the national driver education program. JSC GLONASS will develop a dedicated interactive lesson that will be rolled out across all Russian driving schools and included in the theoretical training of every new driver.
This move marks a qualitative shift in how the state approaches road safety. Previously, ERA-GLONASS was largely perceived by drivers as a technical background feature – something that activates automatically during a severe crash. Now it becomes an object of deliberate study. Future drivers will learn not only how to operate a vehicle, but also how to use built-in emergency response tools effectively in critical situations.
The practical value of this change is clear. ERA-GLONASS has already transmitted more than half a million emergency calls to first responders. In roughly 80% of cases, activation occurred automatically during severe accidents, when drivers or passengers were physically unable to make a call themselves – due to loss of consciousness, lack of access to a phone, or shock. In these cases, the automated system saved lives by transmitting accident coordinates to emergency services in an average of 19 seconds.
Driver training will include explanations of how the system triggers automatically during serious impacts, how to use the SOS button for manual calls, what data is transmitted to emergency centers, and how that information helps rescuers reach crash sites faster. This knowledge is becoming as fundamental for modern drivers as understanding how brakes or steering systems work.
Integrating digital skills into education
Including ERA-GLONASS in driving school curricula fits into a broader trend of digitalization in driver education. Over the past five years, Russia has steadily incorporated basic understanding of vehicle electronics and telematics into standard training programs. ERA-GLONASS represents the first major attempt to make a digital safety system not just a background mechanism, but an object of conscious interaction between driver and vehicle.
Domestically, the initiative raises the overall level of digital literacy among motorists. Further expansion of the curriculum is also likely. As vehicles become more complex, future modules could cover telematics, automated maintenance notifications, interaction with traffic management systems, and other advanced features. This would transform driver education from a narrow technical skill into comprehensive mastery of modern mobility technology.
The export potential of this approach also deserves attention. If the training methodology proves effective – meaning graduates actually use ERA-GLONASS more competently and behave more deliberately in emergency situations – the model could be replicated in CIS countries, BRICS members, and other states developing their own emergency response systems.
From pilot project to national standard
ERA-GLONASS first appeared in Russia in 2009 as an experimental project, and its path to nationwide adoption was gradual. In 2013, the system moved out of pilot mode in 15 regions, including parts of the Moscow and St. Petersburg regions. By December 2013, it covered the entire country, but participation remained voluntary and poorly understood by most drivers.
A major legislative shift occurred between 2015 and 2017. From January 1, 2015, vehicles undergoing safety compliance certification were required to be equipped with emergency call devices. From January 1, 2016, the requirement extended to all new passenger and commercial vehicles produced within the Customs Union. Finally, from January 1, 2017, ERA-GLONASS became mandatory for all new vehicles manufactured in or imported into Russia. The first mass-produced car equipped with the system was the LADA Vesta.
Between 2017 and 2022, the system entered a phase of rapid data accumulation and coverage expansion. By 2024, more than 11 million vehicles were connected, representing roughly 25% of the national vehicle fleet. In 2025, that number rose to 13 million. Each year, the system transmitted an average of 400,000 emergency calls to response services, most of them involving critical incidents requiring urgent medical intervention.
Today, ERA-GLONASS operates in full integration with Russia’s regional emergency dispatch system 112, Kazakhstan’s EVAK system, and Finland’s eCall system. A driver involved in an accident in Finland while driving a Russian vehicle receives assistance through the integrated system in the same way a Finnish driver does in Russia. This creates a unified road safety space across parts of Eurasia.
Standing on the edge of a digital reality
The introduction of ERA-GLONASS training into Russian driving schools starting in 2026 marks a turning point for driver education. Learning to drive is no longer framed solely as mastering a mechanical skill, but as navigating a digital ecosystem. Forecasts through 2030 suggest that driving schools will increasingly teach how vehicles interact with urban infrastructure and safety systems. By 2028–2030, curricula could expand to include modules on telematics, communication with smart traffic lights, and early-warning hazard systems.
If successful, the shift could reshape how future drivers understand their role on the road. A new generation of motorists may see driving not just as vehicle control, but as active participation in digital safety networks designed to protect lives. That mindset could reduce panic during accidents, improve the use of built-in safety systems, and ultimately cut road fatalities by a significant margin. The transformation highlights how technology, when embedded into education, can function less as a tool of oversight and more as a practical instrument for saving lives.
