WRITTEN QUESTION P-2583/00 by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission. Measures to introduce safer car bumpers.
Date: 2000-07-25
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EC Directive, European standard, motor car, motor vehicle industry, pedestrian, road safety, testing, two-wheeled vehicle

C 81 E/152

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.3.2001

gramme, it has recently received proposals from the European Car Industry Association for safer car fronts
for pedestrians and cyclists which, at technical level, severely weaken the levels of protection which would
be provided by the four EEVC tests and could lead to more hazardous car design, in the opinion of
independent experts?

(2001/C 81 E/194)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2503/00

by Ari Vatanen (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(24 July 2000)

Subject: Using vehicle design to protect pedestrians injured in car crashes

Since 1996, results of the pedestrian tests in the European New Car Assessment Programme reveal that car
design has done little to protect pedestrians, although protection for car occupants in car crashes has
improved. A proposal was promised in the Commission(cid:146)s recent Road Safety Communication and was
supported by the Transport Council in their road safety resolution of 26 June 2000.

When will the Commission submit a proposal for the adoption of requisite tests which could prevent
2 000 deaths and 19 000 serious injuries every year?

(2001/C 81 E/195)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2579/00

by Ewa Hedkvist Petersen (PSE) to the Commission

(25 July 2000)

Subject: Legislation on safer car fronts to protect pedestrians and cyclists

In its communication on road safety of March this year, the Commission announced its intention of
introducing legislation in the EU for safer car fronts to protect pedestrians and cyclists as one of six cost-
effective priority measures.

This measure was the first on Parliament(cid:146)s list of priorities in its latest pronouncement on road safety. On
26 June 2000, the Council of Transport Ministers backed this initiative and urged the Commission to draw
up a proposal for legislation as soon as possible.

Given that every month(cid:146)s delay represents a lost opportunity to save 175 lives across the EU, will the
Commission now, without further delay, draw up a proposal which includes the four tests required to
obtain a high level of protection for pedestrians involved in collisions with cars?

(2001/C 81 E/196)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-2583/00

by Nelly Maes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(25 July 2000)

Subject: Measures to introduce safer car bumpers

42 500 people die on the European Union(cid:146)s roads every year, including 9300 pedestrians and cyclists.
The vast majority of the pedestrians and cyclists who are killed are either young or elderly. Because of this
state of affairs, the Commission outlined a number of priorities in March 2000 with the aim of improving
the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

13.3.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 81 E/153

However, the directive announced by Commissioner Liikanen (which was expected in spring 2000), which
was to render four scientifically studied tests compulsory for the car industry, has yet to see the light of
day. The four tests were supposed to reduce injuries caused to pedestrians and cyclists by bumpers and
bonnets in the event of a collision. Research has shown that this could save 2 175 lives per annum in the
EU.

We wonder why this directive, which was promised and is sorely needed, still has not been approved. Each
month of delay means 175 lives lost in the European Union which could have been saved thanks to such a
directive.

Will the Commission introduce this directive?

If so, when exactly?

If so, will the Commission incorporate all four tests (lower leg, pelvis, child(cid:146)s head and adult(cid:146)s head) in the
directive in order to save lives?

If so, will the Commission make this test and the associated safety requirements compulsory for all new
cars?

If not, can the Commission give sufficiently strong reasons why these life-saving measures are not being
introduced, or at least not yet?

(2001/C 81 E/197)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2610/00

by Jonas Sj(cid:246)stedt (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(1 August 2000)

Subject: Crash tests for pedestrians

Why has the Commission not yet submitted a proposal for a directive on compulsory crash testing to
measure how pedestrian and cyclists fare in collisions with cars?

(2001/C 81 E/198)

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(cid:146)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.