BETA


2017/2085(INI) Saving lives: boosting car safety in the EU

Progress: Procedure completed

RoleCommitteeRapporteurShadows
Lead TRAN KOCH Dieter-Lebrecht (icon: PPE PPE) SEHNALOVÁ Olga (icon: S&D S&D), ZŁOTOWSKI Kosma (icon: ECR ECR), ROHDE Jens (icon: ALDE ALDE), CRAMER Michael (icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE), PAKSAS Rolandas (icon: EFDD EFDD)
Committee Opinion LIBE
Committee Opinion IMCO DALTON Daniel (icon: ECR ECR) Curzio MALTESE (icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL), Matthijs van MILTENBURG (icon: ALDE ALDE), Marcus PRETZELL (icon: ENF ENF), Kerstin WESTPHAL (icon: S&D S&D)
Lead committee dossier:
Legal Basis:
RoP 54

Events

2018/03/22
   EC - Commission response to text adopted in plenary
Documents
2017/11/14
   EP - Results of vote in Parliament
2017/11/14
   EP - Decision by Parliament
Details

The European Parliament adopted by 593 votes to 39 with 53 abstentions, a resolution entitled Saving lives: boosting car safety in the EU.

Given that every year on Europe’s roads around 25 500 people die and some 135 000 are seriously injured, Members stressed that more effective measures need to be taken if the vision zero goal of ‘no fatalities’ is to be achieved.

Road safety depends on three factors , these being the vehicle, the infrastructure and the driver.

General recommendations : Parliament stressed the need to conduct efficient and regular road checks on drivers, since the main causes of accidents are speed levels that are inappropriate and excessive speed for the driving conditions concerned, distraction, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and excessive fatigue.

The Commission was asked to:

set a percentage for the numbers of vehicles in classes M1 and N1 to be checked; introduce stricter controls for the proper enforcement of compulsory working-time limits and rest periods for drivers who are professional road users; assess the possible added value of harmonising the EU blood alcohol concentration limit at 0.0% for new drivers in their first two years and for professional drivers ( around 25 % of all annual traffic fatalities in the EU are caused by alcohol consumption; set common standards for the creation of corridors for emergency vehicle access on motorways and to launch a European awareness campaign; consider a proposal for safer use of bicycles , examine the safety requirements for e-bikes and take further Union-wide measures to enable large-scale improvements to cycling infrastructure; draw up an EU-wide binding list of objects that should fall under the carrying requirement.

Member States were asked to :

introduce penalties which will act as a deterrent to offenders; significantly improve the state of their road infrastructure ; develop age-related accident prevention programs; address the issue of manipulation of or tampering with odometers through effective measures and legislation.

The Commission should include new targets for halving the number of serious injuries on the roads in the EU in its new road safety strategy for the decade 2020-2030.

Driver assistance systems to increase road safety : around 92 % of all accidents are caused by human error. Accordingly, Members proposed that it should therefore be compulsory to incorporate only those driver assistance systems that improve road safety significantly as demonstrated by scientific evidence.

Manufacturers should ensure that that the activation status of each driver assistance system is visible to the driver , and that warnings should also be easy to perceive for elderly persons, persons with a disability, and persons with reduced mobility.

Safety measures to prevent accidents and reduce their consequences : while welcoming the fact that emergency braking is already mandatory, since November 2015, for all new trucks and buses in the EU, Parliament called on the Commission to make it compulsory to install automatic emergency braking assistants with detection of pedestrians, cyclists, light powered two-wheelers and motorcyclists in cars, light commercial vehicles, buses, coaches and, especially, heavy goods vehicles.

The resolution also called for:

the compulsory installation of overridable intelligent speed assistant systems that indicate speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights and intervene to assist drivers to remain within speed limits; the installation of a an overridable lane-keeping assistance; road signs to be kept in excellent condition and that road markings are clearly legible; the mandatory introduction for trucks of ambitious differentiated direct vision standards, and reduction of blind spots ; the need to provide preconditions for installing alcohol interlock devices and systems to detect driver distraction and drowsiness; it to be made compulsory to install direct tyre pressure monitoring systems ; the installation of intelligent seatbelt reminder systems for all front seats for all vehicles and for rear seats for M1 and N1 vehicles; improved energy-absorbing front underrun protection for all new trucks; the extension of the eCall installation requirement to motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles and buses and coaches.

Documents
2017/11/14
   EP - End of procedure in Parliament
2017/11/13
   EP - Debate in Parliament
2017/10/23
   EP - Committee report tabled for plenary
Details

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own-initiative report by Dieter-Lebrecht KOCH (EPP, DE) on saving lives: boosting car safety in the EU.

The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report.

The report stated that every year on Europe’s roads around 25 500 people die and some 135 000 are seriously injured. More effective measures need to be taken if the vision zero goal of ‘no fatalities’ is to be achieved.

Given that road safety depends on the vehicle, the infrastructure and the driver, efficient active and passive safety measures are needed at all three levels.

General requests : the report stressed that Member States should conduct efficient and regular road checks on drivers, as the main causes of accidents are speed levels that are inappropriate and excessive speed for the driving conditions concerned, distraction, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and excessive fatigue.

They called on the Commission to:

set a percentage for the numbers of vehicles in classes M1 and N1 to be checked; introduce stricter controls for the proper enforcement of compulsory working-time limits and rest periods for drivers who are professional road users; assess the possible added value of harmonising the EU blood alcohol concentration limit at 0.0% for new drivers in their first two years and for professional drivers; set common standards for the creation of corridors for emergency vehicle access on motorways and to launch a European awareness campaign; examine the safety requirements for e-bikes and other electric mobility devices;

Member States are called upon to:

introduce penalties which will act as a deterrent to offenders; significantly improve the state of their road infrastructure ;

Driver assistance systems to increase road safety : around 95 % of all accidents are caused by human error. This leads to the conclusion that a legislative obligation to install safety-related driver assistance systems is urgently needed.

Members proposed that it should therefore be compulsory to incorporate only those driver assistance systems which improve road safety significantly as demonstrated by scientific evidence.

Safety measures to prevent accidents : while welcoming the fact that emergency braking is already mandatory, since November 2015, for all new trucks and buses in the EU, Members called on the Commission to make it compulsory to install automatic emergency braking assistants with detection of pedestrians, cyclists, light powered two-wheelers and motorcyclists in cars, light commercial vehicles, buses, coaches and, especially, heavy goods vehicles, as these have a strong potential to prevent road accidents by means of autonomous powerful braking and a resulting shorter stopping distance.

They also called for:

the compulsory installation of over ridable intelligent speed assistant systems that indicate speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights and intervene to assist drivers to remain within speed limits; road signs to be kept in excellent condition and that road markings are clearly legible; the need to provide preconditions for installing alcohol interlock devices and systems to detect driver distraction and drowsiness; it to be made compulsory to install direct tyre pressure monitoring systems; the installation of intelligent seatbelt reminder systems for all front seats for all vehicles and for rear seats for M1 and N1 vehicles; improved energy-absorbing front underrun protection for all new trucks; the extension of the eCall installation requirement to motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles and buses and coaches.

Documents
2017/10/12
   EP - Vote in committee
2017/09/28
   EP - Committee opinion
Documents
2017/07/17
   EP - Amendments tabled in committee
Documents
2017/06/22
   EP - Committee draft report
Documents
2017/06/15
   EP - Committee referral announced in Parliament
2017/06/15
   EP - Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament
2017/02/27
   EP - KOCH Dieter-Lebrecht (PPE) appointed as rapporteur in TRAN
2017/01/25
   EP - DALTON Daniel (ECR) appointed as rapporteur in IMCO
2016/12/12
   EC - Non-legislative basic document published
Details

PURPOSE: to propose ways to enhance vehicle safety in the EU.

BACKGROUND: vehicle safety rules in force in the European Union consist of a comprehensive package with proven effectiveness and track record. The interim evaluation of this policy confirmed the important and very substantial progress in reducing road deaths.

The number of road fatalities in the EU has come down considerably during the last 13 years, namely with an approximate 53% reduction from 54 300 in 2001 to 25 900 in 2014.

This increased safety can to a large extent be attributed to EU legislative requirements on safety of vehicles that have been introduced over these years as part of the EU policy on road safety. However, the problem of road safety remains an urgent one . In order to reach the EU strategic target of halving the number of road deaths from approximately 31 000 in 2010 to 15 000 in 2020, additional efforts are needed.

CONTENT: this report addressed to the European Parliament and the Council concerns the reporting on the monitoring and assessment of advanced vehicle safety features , their cost effectiveness and feasibility for the review of the regulation on general vehicle safety and the regulation on the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

The report provides a comprehensive overview and proposes a way forward as regards improved vehicle safety for the benefit of all road users.

Key areas : four main areas of action have been identified consisting of 19 specific measures to increase vehicle safety. At this stage, the selected measures indeed appear to be feasible and cost-effective but should be subject to further studies.

The targeted measures may be summarised as follows:

(1) Active safety measures : this main area covers measures that have the ability to avoid accidents altogether rather than to mitigate their outcome. It is generally considered the most important area of future vehicle safety legislative advancement. The safety features covered are:

automatic emergency braking, intelligent speed adaptation, lane keep assistance, driver drowsiness and distraction monitoring.

(2) Passive safety measures : this area covers accident mitigation measures consisting of introduction of new requirements or enhancing of existing measures in the field of:

emergency braking display (flashing stop lamps), seat belt reminder, frontal crash testing, side crash testing, rear crash testing, alcohol interlock device interface standardisation, crash event data recorder, tyre pressure monitoring.

(3) Trucks and buses : the measures under consideration to improve:

the introduction or improvement of front-end design and direct vision, truck and trailer rear underrun protection (rear bumper), lateral protection (side guards), fire safety for buses.

(4) Pedestrians and cyclists : pedestrians and cyclists account for 30% of transport fatalities overall, but for almost 43% in urban areas.

This area foresees: (i) the introduction of pedestrian and cyclist detection (linked to automatic emergency braking systems), (ii) head impact protection on A-pillars and front windscreen, (iii) as well as reversing (backing up) detection of persons behind vehicles.

Future steps : the Commission has reviewed measures with potential to provide incremental but significant improvements to address a range of vehicle safety related issues. It will consider which of these might be brought forward in legislation following appropriate impact assessments of the costs and benefits including consideration to the cumulative impact on the competitiveness of the EU industry and a reasonable time-line allowing industrial adaptation.

Any new requirements on safety of vehicles for European roads should:

spur further innovation and investment to create quality jobs in the EU and bolster the competitiveness of EU industries; digitalise the internal market via the promotion of safety features that are considered the key enabling technologies to boost and support the wide-scale automation of vehicles as well as the Energy Union objectives of reduction of CO2 in transport.

Documents

Activities

Votes

A8-0330/2017 - Dieter-Lebrecht Koch - Vote unique 14/11/2017 12:41:54.000 #

2017/11/14 Outcome: +: 593, 0: 53, -: 39
DE IT ES FR PL RO PT HU CZ BE BG SE AT NL EL GB FI SK LT HR SI LV LU IE EE DK CY MT
Total
82
61
50
66
50
30
21
19
20
21
15
19
17
23
17
65
12
12
10
11
8
7
6
10
6
13
6
6
icon: PPE PPE
202

Luxembourg PPE

3

Estonia PPE

For (1)

1

Denmark PPE

For (1)

1

Cyprus PPE

1
icon: S&D S&D
169

Netherlands S&D

2

Greece S&D

1

Finland S&D

1

Croatia S&D

2

Slovenia S&D

For (1)

1

Latvia S&D

1

Luxembourg S&D

For (1)

1

Ireland S&D

For (1)

1

Estonia S&D

For (1)

1

Cyprus S&D

2

Malta S&D

3
icon: ALDE ALDE
64

Germany ALDE

2

Romania ALDE

3

Portugal ALDE

1

Austria ALDE

For (1)

1

United Kingdom ALDE

1

Croatia ALDE

2

Slovenia ALDE

For (1)

1

Latvia ALDE

1

Luxembourg ALDE

For (1)

1

Ireland ALDE

For (1)

1

Estonia ALDE

3
icon: Verts/ALE Verts/ALE
45

Hungary Verts/ALE

2

Belgium Verts/ALE

2

Austria Verts/ALE

3

Netherlands Verts/ALE

1

Finland Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Lithuania Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Croatia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Slovenia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Latvia Verts/ALE

1

Luxembourg Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Estonia Verts/ALE

For (1)

1

Denmark Verts/ALE

For (1)

1
icon: GUE/NGL GUE/NGL
48

Sweden GUE/NGL

For (1)

1

Netherlands GUE/NGL

For (1)

3

United Kingdom GUE/NGL

1

Finland GUE/NGL

For (1)

1
4

Denmark GUE/NGL

Abstain (1)

1

Cyprus GUE/NGL

2
icon: ECR ECR
65

Italy ECR

2

Czechia ECR

2

Bulgaria ECR

1

Netherlands ECR

2

Greece ECR

For (1)

1
2

Lithuania ECR

1

Croatia ECR

For (1)

1

Cyprus ECR

1
icon: NI NI
16

Germany NI

For (1)

Against (1)

2

France NI

Abstain (1)

2

Poland NI

Against (1)

2

Hungary NI

2

United Kingdom NI

For (1)

Against (1)

Abstain (1)

3
icon: ENF ENF
35

Germany ENF

Against (1)

1

Poland ENF

Against (1)

1

Romania ENF

Abstain (1)

1

Belgium ENF

Abstain (1)

1

Austria ENF

For (1)

4

Netherlands ENF

4

United Kingdom ENF

Against (1)

1
icon: EFDD EFDD
39

Poland EFDD

1

Czechia EFDD

Against (1)

1

Sweden EFDD

2

Lithuania EFDD

For (1)

1
AmendmentsDossier
264 2017/2085(INI)
2017/06/27 IMCO 38 amendments...
source: 607.830
2017/07/17 TRAN 226 amendments...
source: 608.073

History

(these mark the time of scraping, not the official date of the change)

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  • date: 2018-03-22T00:00:00 docs: url: /oeil/spdoc.do?i=30342&j=0&l=en title: SP(2018)52 type: Commission response to text adopted in plenary
events
  • date: 2016-12-12T00:00:00 type: Non-legislative basic document published body: EC docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2016/0787/COM_COM(2016)0787_EN.pdf title: COM(2016)0787 url: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc?smartapi!celexplus!prod!DocNumber&lg=EN&type_doc=COMfinal&an_doc=2016&nu_doc=0787 title: EUR-Lex summary: PURPOSE: to propose ways to enhance vehicle safety in the EU. BACKGROUND: vehicle safety rules in force in the European Union consist of a comprehensive package with proven effectiveness and track record. The interim evaluation of this policy confirmed the important and very substantial progress in reducing road deaths. The number of road fatalities in the EU has come down considerably during the last 13 years, namely with an approximate 53% reduction from 54 300 in 2001 to 25 900 in 2014. This increased safety can to a large extent be attributed to EU legislative requirements on safety of vehicles that have been introduced over these years as part of the EU policy on road safety. However, the problem of road safety remains an urgent one . In order to reach the EU strategic target of halving the number of road deaths from approximately 31 000 in 2010 to 15 000 in 2020, additional efforts are needed. CONTENT: this report addressed to the European Parliament and the Council concerns the reporting on the monitoring and assessment of advanced vehicle safety features , their cost effectiveness and feasibility for the review of the regulation on general vehicle safety and the regulation on the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. The report provides a comprehensive overview and proposes a way forward as regards improved vehicle safety for the benefit of all road users. Key areas : four main areas of action have been identified consisting of 19 specific measures to increase vehicle safety. At this stage, the selected measures indeed appear to be feasible and cost-effective but should be subject to further studies. The targeted measures may be summarised as follows: (1) Active safety measures : this main area covers measures that have the ability to avoid accidents altogether rather than to mitigate their outcome. It is generally considered the most important area of future vehicle safety legislative advancement. The safety features covered are: automatic emergency braking, intelligent speed adaptation, lane keep assistance, driver drowsiness and distraction monitoring. (2) Passive safety measures : this area covers accident mitigation measures consisting of introduction of new requirements or enhancing of existing measures in the field of: emergency braking display (flashing stop lamps), seat belt reminder, frontal crash testing, side crash testing, rear crash testing, alcohol interlock device interface standardisation, crash event data recorder, tyre pressure monitoring. (3) Trucks and buses : the measures under consideration to improve: the introduction or improvement of front-end design and direct vision, truck and trailer rear underrun protection (rear bumper), lateral protection (side guards), fire safety for buses. (4) Pedestrians and cyclists : pedestrians and cyclists account for 30% of transport fatalities overall, but for almost 43% in urban areas. This area foresees: (i) the introduction of pedestrian and cyclist detection (linked to automatic emergency braking systems), (ii) head impact protection on A-pillars and front windscreen, (iii) as well as reversing (backing up) detection of persons behind vehicles. Future steps : the Commission has reviewed measures with potential to provide incremental but significant improvements to address a range of vehicle safety related issues. It will consider which of these might be brought forward in legislation following appropriate impact assessments of the costs and benefits including consideration to the cumulative impact on the competitiveness of the EU industry and a reasonable time-line allowing industrial adaptation. Any new requirements on safety of vehicles for European roads should: spur further innovation and investment to create quality jobs in the EU and bolster the competitiveness of EU industries; digitalise the internal market via the promotion of safety features that are considered the key enabling technologies to boost and support the wide-scale automation of vehicles as well as the Energy Union objectives of reduction of CO2 in transport.
  • date: 2017-06-15T00:00:00 type: Committee referral announced in Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2017-06-15T00:00:00 type: Referral to associated committees announced in Parliament body: EP
  • date: 2017-10-12T00:00:00 type: Vote in committee, 1st reading/single reading body: EP
  • date: 2017-10-23T00:00:00 type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0330&language=EN title: A8-0330/2017 summary: The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own-initiative report by Dieter-Lebrecht KOCH (EPP, DE) on saving lives: boosting car safety in the EU. The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report. The report stated that every year on Europe’s roads around 25 500 people die and some 135 000 are seriously injured. More effective measures need to be taken if the vision zero goal of ‘no fatalities’ is to be achieved. Given that road safety depends on the vehicle, the infrastructure and the driver, efficient active and passive safety measures are needed at all three levels. General requests : the report stressed that Member States should conduct efficient and regular road checks on drivers, as the main causes of accidents are speed levels that are inappropriate and excessive speed for the driving conditions concerned, distraction, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and excessive fatigue. They called on the Commission to: set a percentage for the numbers of vehicles in classes M1 and N1 to be checked; introduce stricter controls for the proper enforcement of compulsory working-time limits and rest periods for drivers who are professional road users; assess the possible added value of harmonising the EU blood alcohol concentration limit at 0.0% for new drivers in their first two years and for professional drivers; set common standards for the creation of corridors for emergency vehicle access on motorways and to launch a European awareness campaign; examine the safety requirements for e-bikes and other electric mobility devices; Member States are called upon to: introduce penalties which will act as a deterrent to offenders; significantly improve the state of their road infrastructure ; Driver assistance systems to increase road safety : around 95 % of all accidents are caused by human error. This leads to the conclusion that a legislative obligation to install safety-related driver assistance systems is urgently needed. Members proposed that it should therefore be compulsory to incorporate only those driver assistance systems which improve road safety significantly as demonstrated by scientific evidence. Safety measures to prevent accidents : while welcoming the fact that emergency braking is already mandatory, since November 2015, for all new trucks and buses in the EU, Members called on the Commission to make it compulsory to install automatic emergency braking assistants with detection of pedestrians, cyclists, light powered two-wheelers and motorcyclists in cars, light commercial vehicles, buses, coaches and, especially, heavy goods vehicles, as these have a strong potential to prevent road accidents by means of autonomous powerful braking and a resulting shorter stopping distance. They also called for: the compulsory installation of over ridable intelligent speed assistant systems that indicate speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights and intervene to assist drivers to remain within speed limits; road signs to be kept in excellent condition and that road markings are clearly legible; the need to provide preconditions for installing alcohol interlock devices and systems to detect driver distraction and drowsiness; it to be made compulsory to install direct tyre pressure monitoring systems; the installation of intelligent seatbelt reminder systems for all front seats for all vehicles and for rear seats for M1 and N1 vehicles; improved energy-absorbing front underrun protection for all new trucks; the extension of the eCall installation requirement to motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles and buses and coaches.
  • date: 2017-11-13T00:00:00 type: Debate in Parliament body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20171113&type=CRE title: Debate in Parliament
  • date: 2017-11-14T00:00:00 type: Results of vote in Parliament body: EP docs: url: https://oeil.secure.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=30342&l=en title: Results of vote in Parliament
  • date: 2017-11-14T00:00:00 type: Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading body: EP docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P8-TA-2017-0423 title: T8-0423/2017 summary: The European Parliament adopted by 593 votes to 39 with 53 abstentions, a resolution entitled Saving lives: boosting car safety in the EU. Given that every year on Europe’s roads around 25 500 people die and some 135 000 are seriously injured, Members stressed that more effective measures need to be taken if the vision zero goal of ‘no fatalities’ is to be achieved. Road safety depends on three factors , these being the vehicle, the infrastructure and the driver. General recommendations : Parliament stressed the need to conduct efficient and regular road checks on drivers, since the main causes of accidents are speed levels that are inappropriate and excessive speed for the driving conditions concerned, distraction, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and excessive fatigue. The Commission was asked to: set a percentage for the numbers of vehicles in classes M1 and N1 to be checked; introduce stricter controls for the proper enforcement of compulsory working-time limits and rest periods for drivers who are professional road users; assess the possible added value of harmonising the EU blood alcohol concentration limit at 0.0% for new drivers in their first two years and for professional drivers ( around 25 % of all annual traffic fatalities in the EU are caused by alcohol consumption; set common standards for the creation of corridors for emergency vehicle access on motorways and to launch a European awareness campaign; consider a proposal for safer use of bicycles , examine the safety requirements for e-bikes and take further Union-wide measures to enable large-scale improvements to cycling infrastructure; draw up an EU-wide binding list of objects that should fall under the carrying requirement. Member States were asked to : introduce penalties which will act as a deterrent to offenders; significantly improve the state of their road infrastructure ; develop age-related accident prevention programs; address the issue of manipulation of or tampering with odometers through effective measures and legislation. The Commission should include new targets for halving the number of serious injuries on the roads in the EU in its new road safety strategy for the decade 2020-2030. Driver assistance systems to increase road safety : around 92 % of all accidents are caused by human error. Accordingly, Members proposed that it should therefore be compulsory to incorporate only those driver assistance systems that improve road safety significantly as demonstrated by scientific evidence. Manufacturers should ensure that that the activation status of each driver assistance system is visible to the driver , and that warnings should also be easy to perceive for elderly persons, persons with a disability, and persons with reduced mobility. Safety measures to prevent accidents and reduce their consequences : while welcoming the fact that emergency braking is already mandatory, since November 2015, for all new trucks and buses in the EU, Parliament called on the Commission to make it compulsory to install automatic emergency braking assistants with detection of pedestrians, cyclists, light powered two-wheelers and motorcyclists in cars, light commercial vehicles, buses, coaches and, especially, heavy goods vehicles. The resolution also called for: the compulsory installation of overridable intelligent speed assistant systems that indicate speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights and intervene to assist drivers to remain within speed limits; the installation of a an overridable lane-keeping assistance; road signs to be kept in excellent condition and that road markings are clearly legible; the mandatory introduction for trucks of ambitious differentiated direct vision standards, and reduction of blind spots ; the need to provide preconditions for installing alcohol interlock devices and systems to detect driver distraction and drowsiness; it to be made compulsory to install direct tyre pressure monitoring systems ; the installation of intelligent seatbelt reminder systems for all front seats for all vehicles and for rear seats for M1 and N1 vehicles; improved energy-absorbing front underrun protection for all new trucks; the extension of the eCall installation requirement to motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles and buses and coaches.
  • date: 2017-11-14T00:00:00 type: End of procedure in Parliament body: EP
links
other
  • body: EC dg: url: http://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/internal-market-industry-entrepreneurship-and-smes_en title: Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs commissioner: BIEŃKOWSKA Elżbieta
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  • 3.20.06 Transport regulations, road safety, roadworthiness tests, driving licence
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Transport regulations, road safety, roadworthiness tests, driving licence
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  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?secondRef=TOC&language=EN&reference=20171113&type=CRE type: Debate in Parliament title: Debate in Parliament
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  • The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted the own-initiative report by Dieter-Lebrecht KOCH (EPP, DE) on saving lives: boosting car safety in the EU.

    The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, exercising its prerogative as an associated committee in accordance with Article 54 of the Rules of Procedure, also gave its opinion on the report.

    The report stated that every year on Europe’s roads around 25 500 people die and some 135 000 are seriously injured. More effective measures need to be taken if the vision zero goal of ‘no fatalities’ is to be achieved.

    Given that road safety depends on the vehicle, the infrastructure and the driver, efficient active and passive safety measures are needed at all three levels.

    General requests: the report stressed that Member States should conduct efficient and regular road checks on drivers, as the main causes of accidents are speed levels that are inappropriate and excessive speed for the driving conditions concerned, distraction, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and excessive fatigue.

    They called on the Commission to:

    • set a percentage for the numbers of vehicles in classes M1 and N1 to be checked;
    • introduce stricter controls for the proper enforcement of compulsory working-time limits and rest periods for drivers who are professional road users;
    • assess the possible added value of harmonising the EU blood alcohol concentration limit at 0.0% for new drivers in their first two years and for professional drivers;
    • set common standards for the creation of corridors for emergency vehicle access on motorways and to launch a European awareness campaign;
    • examine the safety requirements for e-bikes and other electric mobility devices;

    Member States are called upon to:

    • introduce penalties which will act as a deterrent to offenders;
    • significantly improve the state of their road infrastructure;

    Driver assistance systems to increase road safety: around 95 % of all accidents are caused by human error. This leads to the conclusion that a legislative obligation to install safety-related driver assistance systems is urgently needed.

    Members proposed that it should therefore be compulsory to incorporate only those driver assistance systems which improve road safety significantly as demonstrated by scientific evidence.

    Safety measures to prevent accidents: while welcoming the fact that emergency braking is already mandatory, since November 2015, for all new trucks and buses in the EU, Members called on the Commission to make it compulsory to install automatic emergency braking assistants with detection of pedestrians, cyclists, light powered two-wheelers and motorcyclists in cars, light commercial vehicles, buses, coaches and, especially, heavy goods vehicles, as these have a strong potential to prevent road accidents by means of autonomous powerful braking and a resulting shorter stopping distance.

    They also called for:

    • the compulsory installation of over ridable intelligent speed assistant systems that indicate speed limits, stop signs and traffic lights and intervene to assist drivers to remain within speed limits;
    • road signs to be kept in excellent condition and that road markings are clearly legible;
    • the need to provide preconditions for installing alcohol interlock devices and systems to detect driver distraction and drowsiness;
    • it to be made compulsory to install direct tyre pressure monitoring systems;
    • the installation of intelligent seatbelt reminder systems for all front seats for all vehicles and for rear seats for M1 and N1 vehicles;
    • improved energy-absorbing front underrun protection for all new trucks;
    • the extension of the eCall installation requirement to motorcycles, heavy goods vehicles and buses and coaches.
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  • url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A8-2017-0330&language=EN type: Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading title: A8-0330/2017
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Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 150
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  • PURPOSE: to propose ways to enhance vehicle safety in the EU.

    BACKGROUND: vehicle safety rules in force in the European Union consist of a comprehensive package with proven effectiveness and track record. The interim evaluation of this policy confirmed the important and very substantial progress in reducing road deaths.

    The number of road fatalities in the EU has come down considerably during the last 13 years, namely with an approximate 53% reduction from 54 300 in 2001 to 25 900 in 2014.

    This increased safety can to a large extent be attributed to EU legislative requirements on safety of vehicles that have been introduced over these years as part of the EU policy on road safety. However, the problem of road safety remains an urgent one. In order to reach the EU strategic target of halving the number of road deaths from approximately 31 000 in 2010 to 15 000 in 2020, additional efforts are needed. 

    CONTENT: this report addressed to the European Parliament and the Council concerns the reporting on the monitoring and assessment of advanced vehicle safety features, their cost effectiveness and feasibility for the review of the regulation on general vehicle safety and the regulation on the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

    The report provides a comprehensive overview and proposes a way forward as regards improved vehicle safety for the benefit of all road users.

    Key areas: four main areas of action have been identified consisting of 19 specific measures to increase vehicle safety. At this stage, the selected measures indeed appear to be feasible and cost-effective but should be subject to further studies.

    The targeted measures may be summarised as follows:

    (1) Active safety measures: this main area covers measures that have the ability to avoid accidents altogether rather than to mitigate their outcome. It is generally considered the most important area of future vehicle safety legislative advancement. The safety features covered are:

    • automatic emergency braking,
    • intelligent speed adaptation,
    • lane keep assistance,
    • driver drowsiness and distraction monitoring.

    (2) Passive safety measures: this area covers accident mitigation measures consisting of introduction of new requirements or enhancing of existing measures in the field of:

    • emergency braking display (flashing stop lamps),
    • seat belt reminder,
    • frontal crash testing,
    • side crash testing,
    • rear crash testing,
    • alcohol interlock device interface standardisation,
    • crash event data recorder,
    • tyre pressure monitoring.

    (3) Trucks and buses: the measures under consideration to improve:

    • the introduction or improvement of front-end design and direct vision,
    • truck and trailer rear underrun protection (rear bumper),
    • lateral protection (side guards),
    • fire safety for buses.

    (4) Pedestrians and cyclists: pedestrians and cyclists account for 30% of transport fatalities overall, but for almost 43% in urban areas.

    This area foresees: (i) the introduction of pedestrian and cyclist detection (linked to automatic emergency braking systems), (ii) head impact protection on A-pillars and front windscreen, (iii) as well as reversing (backing up) detection of persons behind vehicles.

    Future steps: the Commission has reviewed measures with potential to provide incremental but significant improvements to address a range of vehicle safety related issues. It will consider which of these might be brought forward in legislation following appropriate impact assessments of the costs and benefits including consideration to the cumulative impact on the competitiveness of the EU industry and a reasonable time-line allowing industrial adaptation.

    Any new requirements on safety of vehicles for European roads should:

    • spur further innovation and investment to create quality jobs in the EU and bolster the competitiveness of EU industries;
    • digitalise the internal market via the promotion of safety features that are considered the key enabling technologies to boost and support the wide-scale automation of vehicles as well as the Energy Union objectives of reduction of CO2 in transport.
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  • date: 2016-12-12T00:00:00 docs: url: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/docs_autres_institutions/commission_europeenne/com/2016/0787/COM_COM(2016)0787_EN.pdf title: COM(2016)0787 type: Non-legislative basic document published celexid: CELEX:52016DC0787:EN type: Non-legislative basic document published body: EC commission:
committees
  • body: EP responsible: False committee: IMCO date: 2017-01-25T00:00:00 committee_full: Internal Market and Consumer Protection (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: ECR name: DALTON Daniel
  • body: EP responsible: False committee_full: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs committee: LIBE
  • body: EP shadows: group: S&D name: SEHNALOVÁ Olga group: ECR name: ZŁOTOWSKI Kosma group: ALDE name: ROHDE Jens group: GUE/NGL name: KONEČNÁ Kateřina group: Verts/ALE name: CRAMER Michael group: EFD name: PAKSAS Rolandas responsible: True committee: TRAN date: 2017-02-27T00:00:00 committee_full: Transport and Tourism (Associated committee) rapporteur: group: EPP name: KOCH Dieter-Lebrecht
links
other
    procedure
    reference
    2017/2085(INI)
    title
    Saving lives: boosting car safety in the EU
    legal_basis
    Rules of Procedure of the European Parliament EP 052
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    3.20.06 Transport regulations, road safety, roadworthiness tests, driving licence