EU Commission proposes new rules to boost road safety

Brussels (dpa) – The European Commission on Thursday proposed an overhaul of the European Union’s road safety and vehicle registration legislation to improve road safety and air pollution.

“The EU is firmly committed to cutting road fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2030,” said EU Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

“Today’s initiative marks a major step forward in making our roads safer, our air cleaner and making citizen’s life easier,” he added.

Brussels hopes that stricter rules could save around 7,000 lives and prevent around 65,000 serious injuries between 2026 and 2050.

The proposal foresees periodic technical inspections for electric vehicles, taking into account the growing number of battery-powered vehicles on European roads and emerging technologies.

Highly polluting vehicles, including tampered ones, are to be detected using new emission testing methods.

Mobility across European borders is to be simplified through the exchange of electronic vehicle registrations and periodic testing certificates via a common platform. Odometer readings stored in national databases are to be exchanged across EU borders.

Cars and vans older than 10 years are to be technically inspected annually.

In Germany, vehicles currently have to be inspected every two years regardless of how old they are, while older cars already have to be inspected annually in many other EU countries.

The European Parliament and EU member states still have to give their approval before the new rules can come into force. (24 April)