EU TRANSPORT MINISTERS FOR VEHICLE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS

As the ETSC ( European Transport Safety Council ) announced today in a press release



EU transport ministers from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg and The Netherlands have called on the European Commissioner for industry Elżbieta Bieńkowska to ‘speed up’ plans to upgrade vehicle safety standards saying road safety should be ‘top priority’.



Antonio Avenoso, Executive Director of ETSC said: “Tougher European standards are urgently needed to ensure that effective, proven and widely available technologies like overridable Intelligent Speed Assistance, Automated Emergency Braking and Advanced Seat-belt Reminder Systems are fitted as standard, not as optional extras.”

Jeannot Mersch, FEVR president: “Beside these live saving and injury reducing in vehicle safety measures some others like EDR ( Event Data Recorder) and “e-call” should also be driven forward and not to forget special measures who ensure a better protection of vulnerable road users like non aggressive car fronts or ITS systems who can prevent collisions with these less protected road users.”

A Chapter from Ministers letter backing this: One area of particular concern is the safety of vulnerable road users especially in our cities. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists account for over half of road fatalities in urban areas. We are making huge efforts to increase levels of walking and cycling in urban areas. We therefore urge you to prioritize the safety of vulnerable road users when making a proposal for new safety standards.