The Europe on the Move programme sets out a highly ambitious package of measures that includes, among other things, the installation of cameras in lorries and breathalysers and black boxes in cars.
The European Commission has just agreed a series of measures which, as part of the Europe on the Move programme, aim to radically improve road safety for everyone. It has therefore been proposed that, within three years, vehicles leaving the factory should incorporate a series of innovative and smart improvements so that, ultimately, driving becomes safer.
The future safety devices are designed to prevent distraction and drowsiness, and also involve cameras and smart assistance systems in which technology plays a key role. The protection extends to drivers and passengers, but also to pedestrians and users of any type of vehicle.
Whether or not this General Safety Regulation is amended will be known once it has been approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the Union. But first of all, let us look at what these improvements, which will affect cars, vans, lorries and buses, consist of.
- Cars and vans: advanced emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, improved seat belts.
- Cars, vans, lorries and buses: intelligent speed assistance, drowsiness and distraction warning, cameras and sensors at the rear of vehicles when reversing, a black box that records data in the event of an accident (similar to those on aircraft).
- Lorries and buses: features that improve the direct vision of the people driving these vehicles, so that blind spots can be eliminated with systems at the front and side that warn of the presence of pedestrians and other vulnerable users, such as motorcyclists, cyclists or people on scooters.
Other requirements
The Commission has also proposed safety systems to monitor tyre pressure in commercial vehicles (vans, lorries) and buses. Car and van manufacturers are expected to fit safety glass to protect cyclists and pedestrians. Another headline requirement is the breathalyser, which will prevent any vehicle from being used if it detects that the person driving it is drunk.
The devices, which would be compulsory for new vehicles from May 2022 – except for the cameras on lorries and buses – could reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Europe's roads. The figures being discussed are 25,000 lives that could be saved, as well as at least 140,000 serious injuries avoided, between now and 2038. By 2050 there would be zero deaths and serious injuries. Without doubt, a challenge of enormous scale.