MEPs on Mid-Term Review of the Road Safety Action Programme

Publication date: 19 June 2006

As a first step in the preparation of her draft (own-initiative) report, the rapporteur Ms Ewa Hedkvist Petersen presented a working document on road safety to the TRAN Committee. She said much had still to be done in order to achieve the Community's target of halving road deaths by 2010. Road accidents were still the biggest single cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults whilst people over 65 were over-represented among pedestrians who die in road accidents. The third road safety action programme highlights that road safety is a shared responsibility amongst all policy makers, she says in her working document, while deploring a lack of political will from many policy makers to take their share of this responsibility.

617550en.pdf (138 KB)

Ms Hedkvist Petersen called for the application of best practice in the enforcement of traffic law, particularly with respect to speed limits, drunk driving and seat-belt use. The rapid introduction of technologies like alcohol interlocks, intelligent seat belt reminders and intelligent speed assistance technologies should be encouraged. She added that the vehicle often was a mobile workplace and that rules governing the work environment therefore ought to apply here as well.

In the ensuing debate Members underlined that actions were necessary in all three 'domains' of road safety: namely on drivers, vehicles and infrastructure. It was added that there were enormous discrepancies between Member States and that those had to learn from each other. The question of what could be done on EU level and what was under the responsibility of Member States was also discussed.

Related News Item:
- Mid-term review of Road Safety Action Programme (22 February 2006)