Fact Sheets on the European Union – 2 - EU Bookshop - Europa

4 Common policies 6
Transport policy
October 1995 introduced uniform procedures for checks.
Directive 2001/26/EC of 7 May 2001 modified Directive 95/50/
EC to introduce uniform procedures for checks on the
transport of dangerous goods by road.
Council Directive 96/35/EC of 3 June 1996 on the appointment
and vocational qualification of safety advisers for the transport
of dangerous goods by road, rail and inland waterway obliges
every undertaking concerned with this transport to appoint
one or more suitably qualified safety advisers to monitor
compliance with the rules.
In December 2006 the Commission submitted a proposal to
update and harmonise the existing legislation (COM(2006)
852).
4. eSafety
In its communication ‘Information and communications
technologies for safe and intelligent vehicles’ (COM(2003) 542)
of 15 September 2003, the Commission expresses its intention
of supporting the development, large-scale deployment and
use of modern safety systems based on new information and
communications technologies. On this basis, what is known as
the eSafety initiative was introduced. Intelligent vehicle
safety systems include automatic speed adjusters, devices to
prevent involuntary lane departures, collision warning devices
and automatic emergency call systems in the event of an
accident (eCall).
5. Safety of road infrastructure
Directive 2004/54/EC of 29 April 2004 lays down minimum
safety requirements for tunnels in the trans-European road
network. These rules are concerned with the organisational,
technical and operational aspects of tunnels. The directive
aims to impose new and harmonised safety rules on all tunnels
longer than 500 metres that are in use, under construction or
being planned.
In mid-2008, the Council of Ministers and the European
Parliament agreed a directive on the safety management of
road infrastructure (not yet published in the Official Journal).
The directive obliges the Member States to evaluate the
transport safety of road construction schemes and to carry out
safety audits. The new directive also contains regulations on
safety management in the road network and on road safety
checks. The directive also lists various measures for making
sections of roads with accident black spots safer.
6. Miscellaneous
The Commission has introduced a databank on road traffic
accidents (CARE), which makes it possible to undertake
comparative studies of the circumstances in which accidents
occur and facilitates dissemination of information and
proposed solutions.
In its recommendation 2001/115/EC of 17 January 2001 to
the Member States on the maximum permitted blood
alcohol content for drivers, the Commission proposed a
maximum of 0.5 mg/ml for all vehicle drivers and 0.2 mg/ml
for HGV drivers.
In its Recommendation 2004/345/EC to the Member States,
the Commission proposed procedures for enforcement of
the rules on drink-driving, speeding and the use of seat
belts.
Role of the European Parliament
In many resolutions the European Parliament has underlined
the importance of road safety in the Community. It expressed
its views in its resolution of 29 September 2005 on the
Commission’s latest action programme. Parliament endorsed
the Commission’s guiding principles for this programme and
called for further measures such as a Europe-wide road safety
campaign, more uniform road signs and increased use of new
technologies such as: (a) seat belt reminders; (b) advanced
restraint systems; (c) electronic speed limitation systems;
(d) ‘alcolocks’ which block the car if the driver is drunk; and
(e) new cars to be fitted with an automatic emergency call
system (eCall) from 2009.
Parliament also called on the Commission to propose
legislative measures with regard to maximum alcohol limits
(in line with Parliament’s recommendation of 0.5 mg/ml for
adults and 0.2 mg/ml for new drivers). In its resolution of
18 January 2007 on the mid-term review of this programme,
Parliament once more adopted an extensive list of
demands.
In the context of its legislative powers, Parliament basically
supported the Commission proposals, and at the same time
contributed a number of proposals for improvements to the
legislation. For example in the negotiations on the directive on
safety in tunnels, Parliament improved the provisions on
emergency exits, lighting and escape routes. In addition the
directive takes account of Parliament’s calls for more attention
to be paid to the needs of disabled people in the construction
of emergency exits.
g
Nils Danklefsen
July 2008
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