European Commission
A number of EU Member States have formally notified the European Commission of changes or suspensions to the application of several EU regulations and directives that impact on transport safety. The notifications follow the publication in May of a legal framework for such suspensions in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As ETSC reported in April, several countries had already begun notifying the Commission that they would suspend application of some rules during the epidemic. The framework set out in May allows for temporary […]
The European Commission will not give carmakers extra time to comply with planned safety or environmental legislation, according to a news report. “The Commission will not propose to postpone the entry into force of any new pollutant emissions or safety legislation,” Johannes Bahrke, a Commission spokesperson was reported as saying by Politico Pro – a subscription EU policy news service. The statement followed a public letter sent by the carmaker lobby group ACEA in June calling for a six-month delay to several pieces of […]
Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) is one of the vehicle safety technologies included in the EU’s new General Safety Regulation for motor vehicles (GSR) and will become mandatory for all new vehicles types as of 2022 and all new vehicles as of 2024. The detailed technical requirements for ISA are currently being prepared by the European Commission, who as part of that process have presented a “draft delegated act”. ETSC welcomes the draft delegated act, however, calls on the European Commission to incorporate the following […]
The European Commission has announced the winners of four sustainable mobility awards including the first ever prize for urban road safety, awarded to Pontevedra in Spain. Pontevedra has reduced road deaths consistently since 1999, impressively achieving zero road deaths between 2011 and 2018. A host of measures ensure that safety and sustainability go hand-in-hand. The city used a clear and careful monitoring strategy to identify which policies are effective and which need to be updated, resulting in increased active mobility, such as walking and […]
The European Commission has published a series of recommendations for transport policy as Member States transition out of lockdown. The main focus of the “communication” is to advise on ways of ensuring freight and passenger transport services can operate safely, with appropriate protections and social distancing requirements. However ETSC wrote to Commissioner Valean in early May pointing out important road safety considerations to be taken into account for the exit strategy. In the letter, ETSC stressed that any flexibility or suspension to road safety […]
Van drivers on international routes will need tachographs under EU deal on driving and resting times
International transport operators using light goods vehicles of over 2.5 t will be subject to EU rules for driving and resting times, and their vehicles will need to be fitted with tachographs, according to a provisional EU deal on updated transport regulations. Currently only heavy goods vehicle and coach drivers are required to use tachographs and respect strict limits on driving and resting times. The change marks the first time the rules will apply to some van drivers – something ETSC has long called […]
The European Commission has announced the first ever Urban Road Safety Award nominees. The awards will celebrate outstanding and innovative achievements by local authorities in the area of road safety. The finalists are: Jaworzno (Poland); Ordu (Turkey) and Pontevedra (Spain). The jury praised, in particular, Jaworzno’s action to reduce speed limits, increase the number of public transport users, and involve local residents in the design of renovated streets. Ordu’s “courageous” decision to pedestrianise the busiest parts of the city, remove heavy car traffic from […]
Several EU Member States have formally notified the European Commission of temporary suspensions to the application of a number of EU road safety laws. Several countries are allowing longer driving times for lorry drivers, to enable deliveries of essential products such as medical equipment. With driver and vehicle testing centres forced to shut their doors, many countries have also extended the validity of driving licenses, certificates of professional competence and vehicle technical inspection certificates. While ETSC recognises the unique circumstances of the current lockdowns, […]
Adina Vălean, the European Commissioner for transport underlined the importance of the Safe System approach and recommitted to the new 2030 target to halve road deaths in the EU as she faced MEPs on the topic of road safety for the first time since her official confirmation. At the first plenary debate on road safety of the current parliamentary session, in Strasbourg on 13 February, a number of MEPs challenged the Commissioner to bring forward measures to address several key challenges. Róża Thun of […]
Government delegates from more than 80 countries discussed how to step up ambition and improve global road safety in the next decade at a major international conference in Stockholm. During the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm, Swedish Minister for Infrastructure Tomas Eneroth presented the Stockholm Declaration, stressing the need for continued, ambition in particular by working towards a new global fatality reduction target, as the current target expires this year. The document will provide guidance up to 2030, focussing on […]
Adina-Ioana Vălean, a Romanian politician, MEP and chair of the European Parliament’s Industry committee will take over from Violeta Bulc as European Commissioner for Transport from 1 December. Mrs Vălean was approved for the role at a European Parliament hearing on 14 November. In her opening statement to MEPs she said: “25 000 [deaths] per year is simply unacceptable. We should share the objective of halving the number of road deaths and serious injuries by 2030 compared to 2020.” Later at the same hearing, […]
ETSC has welcomed a number of aspects of the EU’s ten-year action plan on road safety, published in June. But ETSC also suggests, in a briefing published earlier this month, that a number of areas will require bolder action in order to reach the ambitious targets set out in the Commission’s plan. The ETSC report highlights the following elements of the Commission’s proposals that are particularly welcome: A new target to halve road deaths between 2020 and 2030 as well as, for the first […]
In June 2019, the European Commission adopted the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030,[1] outlining specific policy measures planned for 2021-2030 and developing on the EU Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety published in May 2018.[2] This briefing reflects ETSC’s first assessment of these initiatives with suggestions for further development and implementation. This document refers mainly to the measures addressed by the European Commission in these latest documents. An earlier ETSC briefing, published in February 2018 as input to the Commission’s preparatory process, contains […]
Local authorities across Europe have until 16 December to apply for the first ever EU Urban Road Safety Award, launched as part of this year’s European Mobility Week. The awards recognise the crucial role that towns and cities across Europe play in improving road safety, especially in light of the fact that 38 percent of road deaths and more than 50 percent of serious road injuries occur on urban roads. The award rewards local authorities for adopting holistic measures to improve road safety, within […]
The incoming President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has set out her priorities for the next Commissioner of Transport in a “mission letter” published earlier this month. But the process for approving the new transport Commissioner is now on hold following the rejection of Romania’s choice for Commissioner, MEP Rovana Plumb, by a committee of the European Parliament on the grounds of concerns over undeclared loans and transparency. The proposed Commissioners will be subject to hearings and final approval from the […]
EU Member States have formally rejected a European Commission proposal on specifications for the first wave of C-ITS (Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems) in the EU following a dispute about technology neutrality. The specifications, which should lead to warning messages such as temporary speed limits or collisions on the road ahead beamed directly into vehicles, were set to be built on a type of wifi technology, which had already been developed by several carmakers and technology providers. But several EU Member States and various actors […]
The European Commission has published its Road Safety Policy Framework for the period 2021 – 2030. The new framework was announced by the European Commissioner for Transport, Violeta Bulc, at the ETSC Road Safety Performance Index Conference, held today in Brussels. The publication, which is a non-binding “staff working document”, is a follow-up to an action plan published in May 2018 as part of the package of new road safety legislation that included new vehicle and infrastructure safety standards. One key area where the […]
A new feature which enables Tesla vehicles to change lane without the driver’s intervention has been criticised by the American consumer organisation Consumer Reports. The organisation, which carried out its own tests on the feature, and interviewed drivers and law enforcement officials, says the system is less competent than a human driver. The tests found that the car would cut off other drivers without leaving enough space, didn’t respond well to fast-moving vehicles coming from the rear and appeared not to react to stop […]
The European Commission and the European Investment Bank have launched a new initiative to help public authorities and the private sector access funding and loans for road safety. The “Safer Transport Platform – Road Safety Advisory” provides a single access point to the full range of existing EIB and EC advisory services and financial products. It guides potential applicants to the appropriate funding and financing instruments. The service is supported by the European Investment Advisory Hub (EIAH) and includes a web site with a contact form, […]
The European Commission has published the 2018 figures for road deaths and serious injuries in the European Union. Commenting on the new figures, Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) said: “It’s very disappointing that road deaths in the EU hardly declined in 2018. This is now the fifth year in a row that hardly any progress has been made. However there are reasons to be optimistic for the future. “In recent weeks, the EU has finalised two important pieces […]