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Imagine you're in a foreign country and you're involved in or witness an accident.

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Would you be able to call the emergency services?

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Would you know what number to call in another country?

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In the European Union, emergency numbers differ from one country to the next.

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Yet more and more Europeans are traveling in the European Union.

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So potentially, millions of people could be faced with this problem.

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This is why the European Emergency Number 112 was created by the European Union to be used across Europe.

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So having a single number all over the European Union is a huge advantage.

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How does the 112 emergency number work?

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We headed to Utrecht in the center of the Netherlands to find out.

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Here in the outskirts of Utrecht is one of the main call centers and coordination hubs for the police, ambulance and fire department service of the country.

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In most of the 112 emergency centers, calls will be answered in several European Union languages.

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But remember that 112, like national emergency numbers, must only be used for real emergencies.

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You can think of fires, but also accidents with serious injuries.

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Discomfort of people, where the immediate arrival of an ambulance is desirable.

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Today, most citizens know what emergency number to dial in their own country.

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But only one out of five know that they can use 112 everywhere in the EU.

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More should be done to inform people.

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An effective 112 must pass through the implementation of quality criteria on the entire 112 call chain

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with an absolute priority on the education of the population in relation to the knowledge and proper use of the number 112.

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The 112 emergency number covers the entire European Union.

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So next time you're traveling, keep 112 in mind. It could save your life.