No C 347/26 Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 12. 87 
3.3. Articles 3 and 4 
3.3.1. In accordance with the comments made in 2.2 
above, Article 3 should authorize the Commission to 
impose sanctions on the same footing as national 
administrative authorities (first indent of Article 1 (3)). 
3.3.2. The Committee fully agrees that up to the 
moment when the contract is signed, the Commission 
should be able to suspend procedures which breach EC 
Directives. That should always be possible and not just 
in 'case of urgency'. But such a suspension should be 
Done at Brussels, 22 October 1987. 
1. Introduction 
1.1. During 1986, the European Road Safety Year, 
various initiatives aimed at improving road safety were 
launched to implement the EEC objective to at least 
halve, by the year 2000, the figure of 50 000 killed in 
road accidents each year in Europe. 
1.2. The Road Safety Year, inter alia, brought about 
the commonly agreed realization that in the past decade 
significant improvements in traffic safety have been 
achieved as a result of numerous changes in terms of 
vehicle design and safety, but that further improvements 
will mainly occur by an improvement of the highway 
infrastructure and the education and information of all 
road users. immediately revokable in cases where the contracting 
authority within a very short period can satisfy the 
Commission that the tender submitted complies with all 
requirements of the Directive. The Committee therefore 
calls for deletion of the phrase 'in case of urgency' in 
Article 3. It also calls for deletion of the phrase 'at any 
stage of the procedure' and its replacement by 'up to 
the moment when the contract is signed' in Article 4. 
The Committee considers that once the contract has 
been signed, sanctions other than suspension, as for 
example, fines or application for cancellation, would 
be appropriate. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alfons MARGOT 
1.3. The most suitable field in which to realize an 
improvement of the road infrastructure is the appli­
cation of information technology and telecommuni­
cations. Its aim is to support the driver in his task of 
safely conducting his vehicle and will enable intelligent 
vehicles to make the best possible use of electronic 
on-board equipment, the installation rate of which is 
expected to rise steadily over the next decade. 
1.4. The research programme DRIVE is the frame­
work for assisting technical work programmes such as 
PROMETHEUS and other programmes, which are at 
various stages of execution. 
1.5. The ultimate goal of the DRIVE project is to 
improve the overall efficiency of the whole road traffic 
system by promoting an unimpeded traffic flow, at 
European level thus also further reducing the number 
and severity of accidents. Moreover, positive effects for Opinion on the proposal for a Council Regulation on a Community programme in the field 
of information technology and telecommunications applied to road transport DRIVE — 
(Dedicated road infrastructure for vehicle safety in Europe) 
(87/C 347/09) 
On 4 September 1987, the Council decided to consult the Economic and Social Committee, 
under Article 130 letter q of the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community, on 
the abovementioned proposal. 
The Section for Transport and Communications, which was responsible for preparing the 
Committee's work on the subject, organized its work under Article 47 of the rules of 
procedure (urgency procedure). It adopted its Opinion on 7 October 1987, in the light of the 
report of Mr Perrin-Pelletier. 
At its 249th plenary session (meeting of 22 October 1987), the Economic and Social Committee 
unanimously adopted the following Opinion: 
22. 12. 87 Official Journal of the European Communities No C 347/27 
the environment are to be expected, due to further 
reductions in pollution and energy consumption. This 
will directly benefit both the individual vehicle user and 
society. 
1.6. In addition to the positive effects on road traffic 
safety, the programme is expected to stimulate the 
development of reliable high technology electronics at 
reasonable cost. This is a prerequisite for maintaining 
or improving the competitivity of Europe's economy 
and for the creation of new jobs. 
1.7. In 1985, the Commission engaged with sector 
actors in an investigation whose results were presented 
in November 1986 in the framework of the DRIVE 
seminar. The object of this seminar was to pool all 
necessary information and it finally led to the final 
proposal in July 1987. 
2. Substance of DRIVE 
2.1. In its initial phase — once the DRIVE pro­
gramme has officially been launched — a reference 
model for the assessment of the efficiency of road 
traffic safety measures will be implemented. This is a 
'premiere' in Europe. 
2.2. Simultaneously, the requirements and specifi­
cations to which all individual elements must conform 
will be defined by means of concerted, pre-competitive 
research and standardization on an international level. 
DRIVE will reinforce and complement work being 
undertaken in the domain in a focussed and specific 
manner. 
2.3. An example of individual elements referred to 
in 2.2 above, which form an interactive communication 
system between 'intelligent vehicles' and an 'intelligent 
infrastructure' within the DRIVE framework, is the use 
of an on-board vehicle computer linked to a traffic 
management centre via the vehicles's receiver/transmit­
ter unit and satellites. 
2.4. The idea behind DRIVE is to employ the elec­
tronic equipment that is presently installed for engine 
management (on-board computer) and entertainment 
(radio) also to assist the driver in adverse traffic con­
ditions. 
2.5. For example, within a fully developed intelligent 
infrastructure, a minimum safe driving distance 
between vehicles could be automatically ensured even 
during impaired visual conditions such as fog. This 
could be done by automatically triggering off an elec­
tronically controlled braking system (such as the 
already available 'ABS' in the vehicle immediately 
behind. This would be initiated by a signal emitted by the preceding vehicle on actuation of its brakes, 
regardless of whether these were actuated by the driver 
or not. 
2.6. Another example is the use of intelligent infra­
structures to assist the driver of the intelligent vehicle 
in finding his or her way in unknown surroundings, by 
generalizing the use of electronically processed route 
maps. The savings in terms of time and energy enabled 
by this feature, the feasibility of which has been demon­
strated, would be economically significant. It should 
lead to a reduction in stress for drivers of heavy duty 
vehicles and allow them greater flexibility in following 
their time schedules. 
2.7. The DRIVE programme will identify the oppor­
tunities for exploitation of work being undertaken in 
other programmes, such as RACE, ESPRIT, mobile 
telephony (MOBILFUNK), satellite systems, etc., such 
that the most techno-economically efficient solutions 
are found. This synergy window demands action in 
the near future, while this opportunity for mutually 
beneficial exploitation exists. 
3. General comments 
3.1. The Economic and Social Committee appreci­
ates that its Opinion of 24 May 1984 (!) on a draft 
Council Resolution on the implementation of a Com­
munity Programme on road traffic safety, was taken 
into consideration by the Commission in drafting the 
present document. This appears to be the first time that 
the Commission has specifically referred to a Commit­
tee Opinion in the recitals of one of its documents. 
However, the Economic and Social Committee wishes 
to express dissatisfaction with regard to the insufficient 
time available for giving its opinion on such a complex 
and extensive issue. The Economic and Social Commit­
tee therefore reserves the right to submit further com­
ments should it deem it necessary. 
3.2. With a view to the realization of the Single 
European Market by 1992, the DRIVE project is impor­
tant for the European economy in that it might help 
retain or enhance its competitiveness in the electronic 
and automotive sectors. 
3.3. In order for the programme to be successful, it 
must be adopted without delay as this European initiat­
ive is already facing strong competition from overseas, 
and in particular from Japan where, on 1 October 1986, 
a joint venture in the area of road transport informatics 
was agreed between the Japanese Ministry for Indus­
trial Affairs (MITI) and 13 industrial companies in the 
automotive and electronics sectors. 
3.4. The implications of this project for the common 
transport policy need further consideration. 
(') OJ No C 206, 6. 8. 1984, p. 60. 
No C 347/28 Official Journal of the European Communities 22. 12. 87 
3.5. One question needing to be resolved is whether, 
as a follow-up to DRIVE'S reappraisal of road traffic 
infrastructure, the other modes of transport (rail, mari­
time and air transport) should also be assessed. 
3.6. Social aspects likely to be affected by the DRIVE 
programme, such as its impact on the necessary qualifi­
cations of professional drivers, their conduct and health 
and on the behaviour of the general driving public, will 
have to be considered. Training programmes need to 
be drawn up to improve the skills of professional drivers 
and vehicle and infrastructure maintenance personnel. 
4. Specific comments 
4.1. Article 1 
The Committee considers it necessary to introduce suit­
able wording explaining the consequences of DRIVE 
on all road vehicles used for the transport of passengers 
and goods, as well as on all road users. 
4.2. Article 2 
The final wording of this article should better reflect 
DRIVE'S potential for further reducing the negative 
aspects of road traffic impact on the environment. 
Done at Brussels, 22 October 1987. 4.3. Article 5 
The necessary expenditure at Community level would 
amount to 60 million ECU over 30 months, but to 
4 million ECU in the first year. 
4.4. Articles 6 and 7 
4.4.1. It is suggested that, in view of the huge task 
which lies ahead, the Commission consider the estab­
lishment of a DRIVE Steering Committee, in addition 
to, and for the assistance of, the Committee referred to 
in Articles 6 and 7. The Committee should be composed 
of experts delegated by participating bodies and com­
mercial undertakings. 
4.4.2. To enhance the feasibility of the entire pro­
gramme, it is recommended that among the tasks to be 
assigned to this Committee be the elaboration of the 
terms of reference for the project as well as other 
appropriate measures necessary to implement this 
Regulation. The Steering Committee should also make 
sure that the electronic systems developed under the 
programme are a real and reliable support to drivers 
and not merely gadgets. 
4.4.3. This Committee should include not only tech­
nical experts, but also experts in the fields of social 
science and communication so that the proposal will 
be socially acceptable to road users and the general 
public. 
4.5. Article 8 
Besides the consultation of the social partners, it is 
considered important that the results of the review 
referred to in the first sentence of this article be reported 
also to the Economic and Social Committee. 
The Chairman 
of the Economic and Social Committee 
Alfons MARGOT