During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (4-7 October 2021), MEPs debated the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 – Recommendations on next steps towards “Vision Zero” and accepted the Parliamentary Report

During the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (4-7 October 2021), MEPs debated the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030 – Recommendations on next steps towards “Vision Zero” and accepted the Parliamentary Report. 

MEP Kosma Złotowski shadow rapporteur from TRAN Committee comments on the report ‘ We have been dealing with stagnation in the pace of increasing the level of road safety in the European Union for several years, so if we really want to achieve the goals of Vision Zero, which is the elimination of fatal accidents by 2050, we need to revise the activities and regulations so far. During the work on the report on the road safety policy framework for 2021-2030, we were able to successfully identify the weaknesses of the existing safety policy and propose solutions that are to respond to new challenges, such as the use of new safety technologies in cars or the appearance of vehicles. autonomous. Therefore, I hope that its adoption by the European Parliament will be an effective impulse to return to the path of increasing safety on EU roads.

The ECR Group tabled a number of amendments to the text prepared by the rapporteur proposing many measures to help improve safety on EU roads. In many of them, we emphasized the need to focus more on the safety of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists, because, unfortunately, mortality in this group is the slowest. Citing the results of studies which show that driving a vehicle rated 5 stars in the Euro NCAP test reduces the risk of a fatal accident by as much as 68%, we proposed the implementation of a system of incentives to purchase such cars, for example through tax breaks or lower insurance rates.

We emphasized that due to the high mobility of the society, an effective system for the exchange of information on traffic offenses should also be developed with third countries. This especially applies to Great Britain, with which data exchange ceased with Brexit, but it comes down to impunity for British drivers on EU roads. Post-accident assistance is also an important issue. In Poland, the introduction of the obligation to form life corridors in the Highway Code in 2019 significantly improved the access of emergency services to the accident site. So we suggested that other Member States that still have not legally settled this issue should follow our example.

All these ideas were supported by various political groups and were introduced to them at the beginning of work on the document. Our amendment to the public availability of test results for child transport devices was quite different. We encountered a complete lack of interest in this problem. We had to argue for a long time that the lack of obligation to provide such information by approval authorities and manufacturers not only prevents parents and guardians from making an informed decision on the choice of restraint systems, but also significantly affects the safety level of systems available on the market. Lack of any control unfortunately results in the sale of devices with safety parameters. are on the verge of admissibility. Ultimately, a number of negotiations succeeded in introducing an excerpt into the report, which calls on the Commission to develop standards for information requirements on the safety performance of child restraint systems and to take measures to increase the awareness of parents and guardians about the safety of children in road transport.

Of course, I am glad that this long battle has ended with our success, but at the same time I am surprised and terrified that it was so difficult to persuade other political groups to settle this fundamental issue. I have heard signals that this may not be a coincidence, but the effect of lobbying by producers who are not interested in the full transparency of this data. I will definitely be examining this matter more closely. After all, raising public awareness of road hazards is our ally in the fight for safety, and by hindering access to such important data, we certainly do not contribute to its growth. I sincerely hope that the adoption of this report will be the first step in changing the rules in this regard.