WRITTEN QUESTION E-2422/03 by Kathleen Van Brempt (PSE) to the Commission. In-car LCD screens.
Date: 2003-07-21
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: audiovisual equipment, market approval, road safety, vehicle parts

27.3.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 78 E/111

Heads

CY (Cyprus)

CZ (Czech Republic)

EE Estonia

HU Hungary

LT Lithuania

LV Latvia

MT Malta

PL Poland

SI Slovenia

SK Slovak Republic

Cattle herd

58 139

1 511 000

253 000

770 000

779 100

388 100

18 770

Pig herd

490 818

3 505 000

345 400

5 082 000

1 061 000

453 200

78 303

5 420 987

18 997 030

473 240

607 835

655 665

1 553 880

Total Acceding Countries

10 280 171

32 222 296

Source: Eurostat, Cattle and pig survey, December 2002.

(2004/C 78 E/0112)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2408/03

by Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) to the Commission

(21 July 2003)

Subject: Watching an LCD screen whilst driving a motor vehicle

According to a report in the 28 June 2003 edition of the Flemish-language newspaper ‘Het Belang van
Limburg’, more and more drivers are installing in their vehicles LCD screens on which DVDs and video
games may be played. This does not always involve ‘operational’ information, such as route maps, or the
entertainment of passengers;
in many cases, the screen is also used for the driver’s own amusement.
Although some types of the equipment involved have a built-in safety device (cid:1) which ensures that the
screen may be used only when the handbrake is on (cid:1) that device is often overridden.

In many European countries, using a telephone whilst driving is forbidden unless the car is equipped with
a hands-free set. Since, on the one hand, watching a screen of this nature and, on the other, paying due
attention to the traffic situation are mutually exclusive, the Netherlands Government recently decided to
prohibit the installation of LCD screens which the driver may watch whilst driving.

Is the Commission aware of the fashion for installing LCD screens for drivers, and,
in line with the
Netherlands, is it thinking of introducing a Europe-wide ban on such products which distract drivers when
they are driving?

If so, what specific measures will it take, and will the ban apply to both ‘operational’ and ‘entertainment’
use?

If not, why will it not follow the example of the Netherlands Government?

(2004/C 78 E/0113)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-2422/03

by Kathleen Van Brempt (PSE) to the Commission

(21 July 2003)

Subject: In-car LCD screens

In-car dashboard computer screens are all the rage in Belgium and the Netherlands. For young people, in
particular, it is considered cool to install an in-car LCD screen on which to play computer games or DVDs.

C 78 E/112

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

27.3.2004

Such screens are installed in luxury cars in order to guide drivers to their destination as rapidly as possible,
and the DVD function cannot operate while the car is being driven. However, the models being installed in
car centres are not always equipped with such cut-out devices. In the Netherlands, LCD screens which the
driver may watch whilst driving are prohibited because they are too dangerous. That is not yet the case in
Belgium.

Is the European Commission aware of the increasing use of LCD screens in cars for entertainment
purposes?

What is the Commission’s view of this phenomenon? Does it regard it as a dangerous trend?

What measures is the Commission taking in order to ensure that drivers in cars equipped with LCD
screens will drive safely? Is it considering a ban on dashboard LCDs which can be used for playing
computer games and watching DVDs?

Joint answer to
Written Questions E-2408/03 and E-2422/03
given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(29 September 2003)

The Commission’s attention is drawn to the fact that an increasing number of drivers are making use of
LCD screens for their own personal entertainment while driving. Such screens were initially intended either
for the provision of traffic information or for navigation or for the entertainment of passengers. Since this
situation could lead to dangerous driving practices, Dutch legislation has formally prohibited the
installation of LCD screens intended for drivers. The question therefore arises as to whether or not the
problem should be considered at EU level.

Since 1990 the EU has been carrying out studies to assess the development of in-vehicle telematics devices
and the fact that they may be used by the driver while driving. The question of whether these tools should
be used while driving has been considered from various points of view and examined by several
Directorates-General (DGs) of the Commission (DG Energy and Transport, DG Enterprise, DG Research
and DG Information Society).

The Commission is aware of the potential danger in using this new equipment which could distract the
driver while driving. It therefore published a Recommendation on 21 December 1999 on safe and efficient
in-vehicle information and communication systems: A European statement of principles on human
machine interface (1).

Its recommendations include:

(cid:1) (principle 4) that the system should be designed so as not to distract or visually entertain the driver;

(cid:1) (principle 8)

that visual

the driver
significantly (e.g. TV, video and automatically scrolling images and text) should be disabled or should
only be presented in such a way that the driver cannot see it while the vehicle is in motion.

information not related to driving that

is likely to distract

Since the publication of this Recommendation, the eSafety initiative (cid:1) a joint venture between European
car manufacturers and the Commission (cid:1) has re-opened the debate with its plan to establish a safety guide
for the use of in-vehicle systems while driving.

It should be remembered that the manufacture of motor vehicles is subject to the Community type-
approval system, established under Article 95 of the EC Treaty, and that the Commission must be notified
of all unilateral draft initiatives by Member States. Furthermore, since the EU has signed up to international
agreements, such as those concluded under the auspices of the United Nations, it is also necessary to
examine the impact of all draft initiatives at international level.

(1) Notified under document number C (1999) 4786 and published in the Official Journal (OJ L 19, 25.1.2000).