WRITTEN QUESTION E-2598/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(26 September 2001)

Subject: Introduction of legislation requiring drivers of motor vehicles to drive with their headlights switched on during daylight hours and the implications for the safety of cyclists and pedestrians in densely-populated areas

1. Is the Commission aware that, in 1993, the Netherlands Parliament decided that drivers of motor vehicles must not drive with their headlights switched on during daylight hours, a decision designed not only to save energy but also to take account of the safety of the many cyclists in the Netherlands who, according to the association which protects their interests, were seriously at a risk if motorists were able to see each other better than the cyclists with whom they had to share the roads?

2. Is the Commission also aware that, although arguments in favour of motorists being required to drive with their headlights switched on during daylight hours, as has been the case in Finland and Sweden since the 1970s, lead to the conclusion that safety is indeed improved in thinly-populated areas with few vehicles on long monotonous roads and in areas where the sun is low over the horizon, driving with headlights switched on may deflect attention from cyclists and pedestrians in cities or towns such as are frequently found in the Netherlands?

3. Can the Commission confirm that, in the summer of 2001, it concluded an agreement of principle with the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (EAMA) whereby, from 2002 onwards, all new vehicles must be equipped with lighting systems whereby the headlights are automatically switched on when the driver starts the engine, so that the headlights are switched on automatically when the vehicle is driven during daylight hours?

4. To what extent are the proven positive results of the requirement that headlights must be switched on when vehicles are driven during daylight hours influenced by the fact that no comparison has been drawn with the previous situation but rather with notional data based on a presumed negative development in the future?

5. What possibilities will exist from 2002 onwards for individual Member States if they so wish to prohibit the use of headlights when motorists are driving during daylight hours?

6. What possibilities will exist from 2002 onwards for individual motorists in compliance with the decisions of their national legislator to switch off their lights when driving during daylight hours?

7. If the agreements concluded by the Commission to date do not make provision for the possibilities set out in Questions 5 and 6, what steps does it intend to take to ensure that Member States are not prevented from seeking to achieve, in the circumstances obtaining in their countries, the highest possible level of safety for as many road-users as possible?

Source: De Volkskrant (a Dutch newspaper) published on 8 September 2001.

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(7 November 2001)

The Commission is aware that the mandatory use of daytime running lights (DRL) was considered by the Dutch Parliament in 1993. However, it is understood that even though the Parliament rejected a proposal to make the use of headlamps during daylight hours mandatory, they did not take the step of prohibiting their use, and permitted the Ministry to run a road safety campaign to encourage the voluntary use of DRL.

The Commission has carefully considered the various reports concerning the benefits of DRL, and is of the opinion that the use of daytime running lights should provide a reduction in accidents, without putting any particular group of road users at any greater risk. The fact that motor vehicles will be more readily seen will mean that other road users will identify them earlier allowing more time to make judgements about their actions, whilst also enabling them to spend more time looking for other hazards. Furthermore, there is not thought to be a significant difference in the effectiveness of DRL between rural and urban roads. The most significant variables would appear to be the latitude and the season, as both of these vary the proportion of the hours of daytime/dusk/darkness.

The Commission can confirm that on 11 July 2001, it received a commitment on pedestrian protection made by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), corresponding to the mandate given by the Commission in its Communication of 21 December 2000(1). However, the Parliament and the Council have been asked for their opinion on the commitment and the Commission will not endorse the commitment until it has heard and considered their views. A decision will be given by the end of 2001.

The main measure proposed in the commitment involves making the front of cars less likely to injure pedestrians in the event of them being struck. Other measures also contained in the commitment should contribute to a reduction in the number of accidents and include the installation of daytime running lights (DRL) from 2002 on the new motor vehicles to which the commitment applies.

The acceptance of DRL as a positive measure in the commitment is based on a number of international studies showing a reduction in road accidents since the introduction of DRL.

According to the commitment, DRL can be achieved with specific lamps, or with dipped beam headlamps or front fog lamps operating with nominal or reduced light intensity. The lamps will be switched on automatically when the engine is started but could also be deactivated by the driver.

The Commission is aware of the discussions in Member States about DRL. As this is a voluntary commitment, the situation will remain that individual Member States, on the basis of their national traffic legislation, may prohibit the use of DRL if they choose to do so. Vehicle manufacturers will have to take account of this fact when modifying their vehicles for DRL. However, it should be noted that the use of DRL is already mandatory in three Member States, and permitted in most others.

(1) COM(2000) 389 final.