| Author (Person) | Carstens, Karen |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.36, 30.10.03, p21 |
| Publication Date | 30/10/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Karen Carstens Date: 30/10/03 THREE road-related organizations have called upon member states to set up an EU-wide body to stem the tide of deadly accidents. The European Union Road Federation (ERF), European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) and La Prévention Routière Internationale (PRI), in charge of Europe-wide road safety programmes in the areas of engineering, enforcement and education, respectively, have together called for such a body. “What is needed to get and to keep road safety high on the political and societal agenda is a multi-party, multi-disciplinary body responsible for stimulating/coordinating joint actions and campaigns and for exerting political pressure at the EU level,”.they said in a joint statement on Thursday (23 October). Some 40,000 traffic deaths and 1.3 million accidents every year in the EU “constitute an enormous social and economic burden”.of an estimated €160 billion. Meanwhile, Loyola de Palacio, the transport and energy commissioner, has said a proposed new EU-wide driving licence will help crack down on fraud and improve road safety. Plans for a harmonized, credit-card style licence aim to iron out inconsistencies in the validity periods and format of European driving licences which come in as many as 80 different styles. Paper licences, easy to forge and often decades old, will be replaced by plastic cards with a recent photo and a smart chip carrying information about the driver. The plans come as the Commission moves to improve its road safety policies with an overhaul of maximum driving times, medical tests for professional drivers and standardized penalties. The European Union Road Federation (ERF), the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) and La Prévention Routière Internationale (PRI) called on Member States, in a joint statement issued on 23 October 2003, to establish a European Union-wide body to cut the number of road accidents. |
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| Subject Categories | Geography, Mobility and Transport |
