Current EU rules on periodic vehicles inspections add to road safety, but an update is inevitable with emerging implementation shortcomings and new safety systems for cars, said MEPs.
The draft resolution on the road safety aspects of the Roadworthiness Package, adopted by the Transport and Tourism Committee on Thursday, acknowledges that the implementation of the EU rules has helped to improve the quality of the periodic technical inspections, thus contributing to road safety.
However, there is still scope to introduce more mandatory provisions in next update, such as on cargo securing or information exchange between member states, to help the EU vision of zero fatalities in road transport by 2050, MEPs on Transport and Tourism Committee add. They note that around 22 800 people died and some 135 000 were seriously injured on Europe’s roads in 2019 (23% less than in 2010), and this is still far from the aim to halve this rate between 2010 and the end of 2020.
Better data exchange
MEPs call on the EU countries to make the exchange of information on roadworthiness testing and odometer readings easier, stressing the development of a new Vehicle Information Platform could expedite information sharing. In addition, EU citizens should be better protected from fraud and have full information on the history of their cars, therefore Transport MEPs want information on accidents and the frequency of significant malfunctions to be also shared amongst the EU countries.
Roadside inspections
Falling cases of roadside inspections of commercial vehicles during the last six years and cuts in national budgets for road safety enforcement is a very worrying trend, the draft text says. It calls on the EU countries to step up their efforts to reach 5% minimum inspection target (share of registered vehicles on their territory) as committed back in 2018. The text also advocates conducting the roadside inspections for two- or three-wheel vehicles as motorcyclists are considered vulnerable road users, and the fatality among them decreases the slowest among all vehicles users in the EU.
MEPs also regret that the EU rules do not require mandatory inspection of cargo securing, which is important element of road safety, therefore they urge the Commission to propose minimum requirements in this field (use of appropriate equipment and training), that could become part of an updated EU rules.
New technologies
New cars will have to be equipped with the new advanced safety and driver assistance systems from 2022, the draft notes, calling on the Commission to include them as well as eCall, a life saving emergency call device, within the scope of future periodic vehicle checks.
MEPs also ask the Commission to consider within the upcoming revision of current rules to include new modes of transport - e-scooters, onewheels or hoverboards.
Quote
"Harmonization in the field of roadworthiness is above all a guarantee of increased road safety for European citizens. We must keep working in that direction", said rapporteur Benoit Lutgen (EPP, FR).
Background
The roadworthiness package adopted in 2014 and applied since 2018 is composed of three directives, focused on periodic roadworthiness tests, technical roadside inspections of commercial vehicles and vehicle registration documents.
To increase the safety and to reduce the deaths and serious injuries on Europe’s roads the package introduced minimum frequency for Periodic Technical Inspections of vehicles and minimum list of items to be tested as well as equipment to be used during testing; mandatory controls of electronic safety components, such as ABS or air-bags, and measures to combat mileage fraud.
Next steps
The draft resolution on the road safety aspects of the Roadworthiness Package was adopted by 48 votes to 1. It now needs to be voted on by the full house of the Parliament, possibly during the March II session.
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Further information
Committee on Transport and Tourism
Procedure file
EP Research service study: implementation of the Roadworthiness Package
Product information
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