“This law is paving the way to save thousands of lives in
the coming years. Our focus was always on the safety of
road users, especially vulnerable ones. The additional
obligatory equipment for cars, trucks and buses will help
to save people’s lives”, said Róża Thun (EPP, PL),
who steered this legislation through Parliament. The
provisional deal with EU ministers was reached on 26 March.
Vehicles better equipped to prevent accidents
The advanced systems that will have to be fitted
in all new vehicles are: intelligent
speed assistance; alcohol interlock installation
facilitation; driver drowsiness and attention warning;
advanced driver distraction warning; emergency stop signal;
reversing detection; and event data recorder (“black box”).
The intelligent speed assistance (ISA) system could reduce
fatalities on EU roads by 20%, according to estimates. “ISA
will provide a driver with feedback, based on maps and road
sign observation, always when the speed limit is exceeded.
We do not introduce a speed limiter, but an intelligent
system that will make drivers fully aware when they are
speeding. This will not only make all of us safer, but also
help drivers to avoid speeding tickets”, Ms Thun said.
For passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, it will
also be mandatory to have an emergency braking system
(already compulsory for lorries and buses), as well as an
emergency lane-keeping system.
Most of these technologies and systems are due to become
mandatory as from May 2022 for new models and as from May
2024 for existing models.
Trucks and buses safer for cyclists and
pedestrians
Trucks and buses will have to be designed and built to make
vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians,
more visible to the driver (so-called “direct vision”).
Those vehicles will have to be equipped with advanced
features to reduce “to the greatest possible extent the
blind spots in front and to the side of the driver”, says
the text.
Direct vision technology should be applied to new models as
from November 2025 and for existing models from November
2028.
Improved crash tests and windscreens
The new rules also improve passive safety requirements,
including crash tests (front and side), as well as
windscreens to mitigate the severity of injuries for
pedestrians and cyclists. Type-approval of tyres will also
be improved to test worn tyres.
Next steps
The regulation, approved by Parliament with 578 votes to
30, and 25 abstentions, will now be submitted for approval
to the EU Council of Ministers.
In 2018, around 25 100 people died on EU roads and 135 000
were seriously injured, according to preliminary
figures published by the Commission.
