Current traffic restrictions, linked to the pandemic situation, are leading to a decrease in accidents and the number of road fatalities. But this punctual good news should not make us forget that before the Covid 19 crisis, the EU was far from its road safety objectives and that vigilance remains in order. This is why Renew Europe is committed to strengthening technical control measures with regard to the evolution of the market and the vehicle fleet.
Vlad GHEORGHE (USR, Romania), spokesperson for Renew Europe for the report on the implementation of the road safety aspects of the roadworthiness control package within the Parliamentary Committee on Transport and Tourism (TRAN), said: “We need to put most advanced technological and digital solutions at the service of safety on the roads. In 2019, almost 23 000 people died and 135 000 were seriously injured in Europe, with fatalities disproportionately concentrated in a group of countries. To reduce deaths on the roads, we propose concrete measures for improved roadworthiness control legislative implementation and its revision based on advanced safety features”.
Renew Europe generally deplores the insufficient national funding for inspection staff, their equipment and training, which could jeopardize the achievement of technical inspection objectives.
Renew Europe is also concerned about the drifts in the used car market, which is two to three times that of new cars. Odometer fraud is said to affect between 5% and 12% of used cars in national sales and between 30% and 50% of cross-border sales. The flow of second-hand sales is mainly from West to East Europe. As only six Member States recognize odometer tampering as a criminal offense, Renew Europe has introduced an amendment urging the European Commission to act.
Renew Europe has also proposed that overused vehicles in shared mobility be subject to more frequent checks and calls for an end to the exemptions from the obligation of periodic technical inspections for two or three-wheeled vehicles.