The European Parliament has agreed that all new cars sold in Europe should be fitted, as standard, with a range of ‘life-saving technologies’ including automated emergency braking, intelligent speed assistance and seatbelt reminders.
Mandatory safety standards for new cars sold on the European market have not been updated since 2009 – and the European Parliament says action is needed now as it will be several ‘years’ before the majority of cars on the roads will have the technology.
Antonio Avenoso, executive director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), described the measure as the EU’s ‘best hope for restarting progress on road safety’.
In a report published last month, the European Parliament backed a range of safety measures for cars and vans, as well as new requirements for lorries – including ‘direct vision’ to improve visibility of pedestrians and cyclists, particularly in urban areas.
The European Commission is expected to publish its final legal proposals for revised vehicle safety standards by March 2018.
Antonio Avenoso said: “These new vehicle safety measures are the EU’s best hope for restarting progress on road safety in Europe.
“But they will take several years to take effect and even longer before the majority of cars on our roads all have these features. After several years of foot dragging, it is now absolutely critical that the European Commission publishes its proposals without any further delay.
“Making these proposed technologies mandatory could be as important as the introduction of the seat belt in safety terms, so we want to thank MEPs for taking such a positive stance on this issue.”
Category: Vehicles and technology.
Comment on this story