23 Amendments of Vlad GHEORGHE related to 2021/2014(INI)
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the EU is being confronted with new trends and challenges in automation that could have a huge impact on road safety; whereas the growing phenomenon of distraction by mobile devices needs to be addressed; whereas some technological advances, connectivity and automation, create new road safety opportunities to reduce or compensate for human errors; whereas in the near future, the presence of both vehicles with a wide range of automated/connected features and traditional vehicles in mixed traffic will pose a new riskchallenges, especially for vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas automation as well as the sharing economy provide new opportunities to tackle congestion especially in urban areas; whereas developing the synergies between safety and sustainability measures in urban areas, could lead to less CO2 emissions, improved air quality, reduced congestion;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the share of road deaths of vulnerable road users is increasing, as car users have been the main beneficiaries of improved vehicle safety and other road safety measures; whereas the safety of motorbike riders, cyclists and pedestrians must be urgently addressed;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas achieving the new EU road safety targets requires more intensive and cooperative efforts to develop strong European road safety policies with stakeholders, research and innovation support, in order to prepare policy based solutions based on solid data and impact analysis, increased and targeted enforcement measures at national level and effective cooperation on cross- border enforcement of penalties;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the fact that the EU has reaffirmed in the 2021-2030 EU road safety policy framework its long-term visionstrategic goal to get close to zero deaths and zero serious injuries on European roads by 2050, known as Vision Zero, and its medium- term goal to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50 % by 2030; highlights that these EU goals and targets relating to road safety should be underpinned by a coordinated, well- planned, systematic and well-financed road safety approach at EU, national, regional and local level;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes in this regard the adoption of the safe system approach at EU level, based on a performance framework and timed targets for the reduction of casualties and serious injuries; welcomes the setting up of key performance indicators (KPIs) established in cooperation with Member States to enable a more focused and targeted analysis of the Member States’ performances and to identify shortcomings; recalls onthat the Commission to set outcome targets by 2023unication “Europe on the Move – Sustainable Mobility for Europe: safe, connected and clean” in 2018 confirmed the EU's long-term goal of moving to zero fatalities in road transport by 2050 and added that the same should be achieved for serious injuries; highlights that the same communication proposed new interim targets of reducing the number of road deaths by 50% between 2020 and 2030 as well as reducing the number of serious injuries by 50% in the same period, as recommended in the Valletta Declaration; underlines the importance of the ongoing cooperation between the EU and the Members States in this regard and urges all Members States to fully commit to this exercise and agree on a harmonised methodology for KPIs that will allow Member States to be comparedcompare data; stresses the importance of promoting best national practices, in order to improve harmonisation and to bring together the existing different national approaches to road safety;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Calls on the Commission to extend the programme “EU Road Safety Exchange” aiming at improving the road safety performance, currently focusing on six Member States to all EU Member States;
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to further promote the EU funding opportunities through regional and cohesion funds, the Connecting Europe Facility and the “Safer Transport Platform” launched by the European Investment Bank (EIB); stresses the importance of funding and making the eligibility criteria clearer for road safety actions also through future EU instruments, such as Invest EU and CEF2 Regulation; aiming at accelerating the delivery of road safety results; furthermore, calls on all Member States to earmark an adequate part of their national budget, which, coupled with EU funds, should make it possible to implement their national road safety programmes and the new 2021-2030 EU Road Safety Policy Framework;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Member States and the Commission to prioritise investments with the greatest benefit in terms of road safety, including investments in maintaining existing infrastructure and in the construction of new infrastructure; welcomes, in this regard, the launch of the Safer Transport Platform initiative and calls on all interested parties to considerthe Commission and the EIB to consider launching awareness-raising and information campaigns in order to ensure that all interested parties are well informed about the conditions of its use;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Highlights that a proactive assessment of the EU road network will be a useful tool to assess the in-built safety of roads and to target investment; welcomes, in this regard, the risk mapping and safety rating of motorways and primary roads introduced in the recently revised EU infrastructure safety rules4 and calls on the Member States to designate as many primary roads in their territory as possible to increase the road safety potential of the new directive; calls on the Commission and the Member States to agree as soon as possible on a methodology to carry out systematic network-wide road assessments as mandated in the revision of the above- mentioned act; highlights the importance of using infrastructure to introduce self- explaining, self-enforcing roads, specifically in dangerous zones, or zones with a prevalence of vulnerable road users for the safety of all participants in road traffic; recalls the importance of the performance of road signs and markings, including their placing, visibility and retro-reflectivity, especially for the good functioning of driver assistance systems, such as Intelligent Speed Assistance and Lane Keeping Assistance; calls on the Commission and the Member States to speed up the work on the specifications at EU level for the performance of road signs and markings in order to prepare the way for a higher level of automation in vehicles; reminds that according to the Commission’s impact assessment, these new rules have the potential to save up to 3200 lives and avoid 20 700 serious injuries by 2030; _________________ 4Directive (EU) 2019/1936 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2019 amending Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management, OJ L 305, 26.11.2019, p. 1.
Amendment 63 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Calls on the Commission to continue working closely with the Member States to define a KPI for road infrastructure, indicating the safety quality of a road network independent of road user behaviour or vehicle technology, based on agreed common rating methodology;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Welcomes the recent revision of the General Safety Regulation, which will make new advanced safety features in vehicles such as intelligent speed assistance and emergency lane keeping systems mandatory in the EU as from 2022, with the potential to save around 7 300 lives and avoid 38 900 serious injuries by 2030; calls on the Commission to adopt ambitious and timely secondary legislation, to evaluate future developments and to review the regulation where appropriate in order to keep pace with technical developments; in this regards, recalls the importance of innovation in vehicle technology, which can both help mitigate the severity of crashes and reduce the likelihood of crashes through active and passive safety features;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls upon the Member States to provide tax incentives and to encourage insurers to enable the purchase and use of safe cars;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Urges the Commission, in line with the TRAN implementation report on the road safety aspects of the Roadworthiness Package, to take due account of the technical progress in vehicle safety features provided for in new General Safety Regulation and to include advanced safety systems in the scope of the next revision of the Roadworthiness Package to ensure they are checked during periodical technical inspections; in this regard, calls on the competent authorities to ensure additional trainings, upskilling and re-skilling of the related inspectors conducting the PTIs.
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls on the Commission to propose a new harmonised regulatory framework for automated cars in order to ensure, by means of comprehensive tests, including real driving conditions, that automated cars will operate in an absolutely safe manner for their drivers and other road users, in particular concerning their interaction with conventional vehicles and vulnerable road users; in this regard, highlights the importance of ensuring training and qualification to be brought up to date and equip drivers with the necessary skills and knowledge to drive automated vehicles as they emerge onto the market in the coming years;
Amendment 114 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Notes that safe road use ( speed, driving without alcohol and drugs, undistracted driving, safety belt and child restraint use, helmet use) is the third pillar for the prevention and mitigation of fatalities and serious injuries in collisions, showing that the human factor in road safety plays a crucial role; notes that according to a Commission study, alcohol is estimated to be involved in around 25 % of all road fatalities, while drugs are involved in 15 % of road fatalities5 ; notes that the EU recommendation on permitted blood alcohol content dates from 2001; calls the Commission to include a zero- tolerance drink-driving limit in its recommendations, and to introduce an EU recommendation for zero tolerance regarding illicit psychoactive drugs and standards on roadside drug-driving enforcement; calls on the Commission to also include in the revised recommendations guidance on the fitting of alcohol interlock devices, with a special focus on repeat offenders, high- level first- time offenders and all professional drivers; in this regards, calls on the Commission to consider the feasibility and the added value of elaborating a harmonised system of mutual recognition of driving disqualifications and of penalty points between Member States, where it exists. _________________ 5Commission study of 18 February 2014 on the prevention of drink-driving by the use of alcohol interlock devices.
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Notes that speeding is a key factor in around 30 % of fatal road crashes and an aggravating factor in most crashes; calls on the Commission to come up with a recommendation to apply safe speed limits in line with the safe system approach for all road types, such as maximum speeds of 30km/h in residential areas and areas where there are high numbers of cyclists and pedestrians, or where there could be potential to increase cycling and walking levels, and to assess the feasibility of limiting the maximum top speed of all new vehicles as an effective way of reducing road casualties, as well as air pollution and carbon dioxide emissions;
Amendment 134 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Recalls that the Driving Licence Directive established a harmonised EU licence model and introduced minimum requirements for obtaining licences; notes that the directive will need to be kept up- to-date regarding new technological developments in vehicle and infrastructure technology and vehicle automation; calls on the Commission to consider introducing a graduated licencing system that encourages novice drivers to gain more experience while limiting certain high-risk activities such as driving at night and with passengers; note, while taking into account the mobility needs of people living in areas with cloncern that cases of irregular issuing of driving licences have been reported in several Member States and calls on the Commission to monitor this issueg distances and limited access to public transport; notes that driver licencing, targeted education and awareness raising, supported by strong and sustained compliance and enforcement regimes, have an important role to play in giving road users the capability and willingness to use roads and vehicles safely;
Amendment 160 #
16. Highlights the importance of fast and effective post-crash care in significantly reducing the consequences of injury; calls on the Member States, in this context, to establish closer collaboration between their road safety authorities and the health sector, to make it mandatory to build emergency lanes and to enforce their correct use to speed up rescue operations; calls onfurther the Commission to considerand the Member States to provide for sufficient financing for efficient emergency infrastructure, including air medical services; calls on the Commission to makinge first aid training compulsory in the future revision of the Driving Licence Directive; recalls the importance of effective follow- up victim support;
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Stresses that poor enforcement of road traffic rules undermines efforts to achieve Vision Zero; encourages the Member States to set annual targets for enforcement and compliance in their road safety plans and to ensure their adequate funding; underlines that only well- explained and, well-publicised consistent enforcement activities and education by enforcement can have a long- lasting effect on driving behaviour;
Amendment 186 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19 a. Underlines that the manipulation and fraud in electronic safety features, such as advanced driving assistance systems, represent a high safety risk and need therefore to be addressed by specific training on the control of software integrity provided to inspectors;
Amendment 191 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission, in view of the upcoming revision of the Urban Mobility Package, to promote synergies between safety and sustainability measures in urban areas; calls, in this regard, for the reprioritisation of transport infrastructure in dense urban areas away from individual motorised transport towards public transport and sustainable, safer and healthier transport modes such as walking and cyclingsustainable, safer and healthier transport modes such as public transport, walking and cycling, taking into consideration the special needs of vulnerable road users, such as children, persons with disabilities and elderly persons; encourages further investments and co-funding by EU funding instruments for parking and other mobility connectivity zones in the entry of urban areas, providing for easy access to different modes of public transport, in view of reducing urban congestion and CO2 emissions;
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Is of the view that in order to properly implement the next steps in the EU road safety policy under the overarching Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, some new capacities are needed in the field of road safety, in particular with respect to the coordination, monitoring and evaluation functions and technical support for the overall strategy; calls on the Commission in this regard to explore options to further support safe road transport under an existing agency or another bodto consider establishing a European Road Safety Agency;