WRITTEN QUESTION P-2760/00

by Maria Sanders-ten Holte (ELDR) to the Commission

(2 August 2000)

Subject: Legislation on making car fronts safer for pedestrians and cyclists

42 600 people die on the European Union's roads each year(1). This is partly due to technical factors such as unsafe car fronts.

During the busy holiday months, the average number of fatal accidents rises considerably.

Research has shown that instituting safety requirements for car fronts, in accordance with the four crash tests developed by the European Experimental Vehicles Committee (EEVC), could save many lives.

These four crash tests have already been developed in the EU, and are the outcome of 22 years of European-subsidised research and development programmes.

Despite repeated commitments, we still have not received a proposal for a regulation providing for car fronts and the like to be made safer from the point of view of pedestrians and cyclists. This is a matter for which the Commission has sole responsibility, so Member States cannot introduce independent provisions.

In view of the above, it is difficult to understand why this proposal for a regulation should still not be forthcoming, particularly in the light of the requirements of the Treaty and the priorities stated in the Commission's communication of March 2000 on road safety. In the communication the Commission expresses the intention of proposing legislation on rendering car fronts safer for pedestrians and cyclists, which is one of the six priorities for road safety. This measure was also at the top of the list of priorities of the European Parliament in the last opinion on road safety.

1. Does the Commission agree that this regulation on making car fronts safer, including all four compulsory EEVC crash tests, could save many lives up to 5 or 6 lives per day in the EU and ought therefore to be adopted as soon as possible?

2. Does the Commission agree that after 22 years of EU-subsidised research programmes, which have produced the four well-known tests that are used by EuroNCAP (New Car Assessment Programme), this is not the time to commission fresh research in this field but rather that a firststep must be taken by now drafting this regulation in order to save many lives?

3. Does the Commission agree that any further delay in adopting this regulation will be bad for the image of the EU, and particularly of the Commission, as sufficient research has been done and sufficient information is available to save 175 lives per month in the EU and, for example in the Netherlands, a country with a relatively good safety record, approximately 41 lives every year?

(1) 1998 figure.

Joint answer to Written Questions P-2131/00, P-2133/00, P-2155/00, P-2156/00, P-2157/00, P-2158/00, E-2239/00, E-2385/00, E-2410/00, E-2462/00, P-2482/00, P-2493/00, P-2503/00, P-2579/00, P-2583/00, E-2610/00 and P-2760/00 given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(8 September 2000)

The Commission shares the views of the Parliament on the promotion of road safety in the Community and the concerns presented in a series of questions from Honourable Members. The adoption of measures to increase transport safety and reduce the number of victims is a primary objective of Commission policy.

The Commission is convinced that improved road safety is the shared responsibility of everyone, that is to say, the Community, the national, regional and local authorities of the Member States, the motor vehicle industry, and also road users themselves. The measures to be taken include the improvement of infrastructures, road users' and drivers' education, traffic codes and technical controls, as well as active and passive safety provisions on motor vehicles.

As indicated by some Honourable Members, the Commission in its communication(1) of 17 March 2000 entitled Priorities in EU road safety progress report and ranking of actions, identified safer car fronts for pedestrians and cyclists by means of type approval and possible in-use legislation as one of its short to medium term road safety priorities.

The Commission is well aware of the risks for pedestrians and cyclists in road accidents. The subject of pedestrian protection has been in intensive discussion in the last months with the interested parties. All concerned, including vehicle manufacturers, have been consulted and have had the occasion to present their proposals on the best way to approach this issue. These discussions have also been tackling aspects of technical requirements for safer front design in the case of a collision.

The question of designing cars to reduce injuries in case of accidents at low speed with pedestrians is technically complicated. It is a new approach which has not been tried anywhere in the world. Much work has been done regarding the development of a performance standard

by European academic institutions that specialise in passive safety of vehicles. Europe is in the forefront in this field. The measures taken have to be based on well-established scientific evaluation processes. This work takes time and is not yet finished. During the discussions the manufacturers have presented a draft commitment concerning the technical requirements.

As a number of technical issues are unresolved, the Commission has asked its Joint research centre to contribute to the evaluations. The Commission is willing to continue the full consultation of all interested parties and to inform the Parliament of the progress of these discussions early in autumn. It will not compromise with the aim of reducing injuries, but it is necessary to find the best technical solution reflecting the state of the art of current knowledge.

(1) COM(2000) 125 final.