EU Commission proposes ‘comprehensive’ road safety standards reform

Brussels – The Commission is proposing a comprehensive overhaul of the EU’s road safety and vehicle registration rules. The update covers three directives applicable to roadworthiness testing of vehicles, vehicle registration, and roadside inspections of commercial vehicles.

The Union’s current road safety and vehicle registration standards “are outdated and no longer sufficient to keep pace with rapid advances in automotive technology, growing concerns about pollution, and persistent road safety problems,” the Commission says.

Therefore, the new standards will prioritize road safety and air quality, “take into account the growing presence of electric vehicles,” and adapt to emerging technologies such as advanced driver assistance systems.

Thus, it proposes introducing periodic roadworthiness tests for electric vehicles, new tests for electronic safety systems, and advanced emission testing methods to identify high-emitting vehicles. In addition, the Commission proposes to introduce annual inspections for cars and vans older than ten years, which are “responsible for a disproportionate amount of harmful emissions.”

Citizens will be better protected against fraudulent odometer tampering. Periodic technical inspections will be facilitated for those temporarily residing in another EU country.

Finally, the Commission proposes introducing digital registration certificates as a new standard and simplifying cross-border data sharing by improving the electronic exchange of vehicle registration data between member states. 

These changes are expected to significantly impact road safety, “preventing about 65,000 serious injuries and saving about 7,000 lives over the next 25 years,” the Commission said.

The European Parliament and the Council will now assess the proposals.