ROAD SAFETY
(21125)
7014/00
COM(00) 125
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Commission Communication: Priorities in EU road safety: progress
report and ranking of actions.
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| Legal base:
| — |
| |
| Document originated:
| 17 March 2000
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| Forwarded to the Council:
| 21 March 2000
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| Deposited in Parliament:
| 14 April 2000
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| Department: |
Environment, Transport and the Regions
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| Basis of consideration:
| EM of 20 April 2000
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| Previous Committee Report:
| None but see paragraph 1
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| To be discussed in Council:
| June 2000 |
| Committee's assessment:
| Politically important
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| Committee's decision:
| Not cleared; further information requested
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Background
4.1 The first Community action programme
on road safety was launched in 1993. In July 1997[8],
we reported on the second Action Programme to run until 2001.
The Government said at that time "each year, road accidents
are the cause of around 45,000 deaths and 1.6 million injuries
in the Community and the Government accepts that this is a legitimate
subject for Community concern." It recognised that vehicle
safety standards required action at Community level, and also
that it was valuable for Member States to exchange information
and experience in road safety. Article 71 EC puts beyond doubt
the competence of the Community to act on matters of road safety.
4.2 The second action programme contained
about 60 measures involving a wide range of initiatives from building
in safety in cars and roads to actions more directly targeted
on road users and pedestrians. Some involved legislation but most
did not.
The document
4.3 In response to requests from the Council
and the European Parliament, the Commission has now produced a
progress report on implementation of the second Action Programme
including a prioritised ranking. The ranking was achieved by a
multi-criteria analysis followed by a cost effectiveness assessment.
This led to the definition of the following short and medium term
priorities:
- continue to work with and develop the European
New Car Assessment Programme, (EuroNCAP);[9]
- campaigns and legislation on seat belts and child
restraints;
- recommendation to the Member States on maximum
blood/alcohol levels in drivers;
- legislation on speed limiters for light commercial
vehicles;
- develop guidelines for 'Black Spot' management
(places with a concentration of accidents) and the design of 'forgiving'
roadsides (that is, less likely to cause injury in the event of
any accident);
- legislation on safer car fronts for pedestrians
and cyclists.
4.4 Beyond these key priorities, the Communication
lists a further five measures for which more research into cost
effectiveness is desirable: medical standards for driving licences;
standards for driving tests; daytime running lights; effects of
medicines on driver behaviour; post accident care.
4.5 Three supporting measures also received
a high priority: the CARE[10]
accident statistics data base; an integrated information system;
and research into vehicle standards and telematics.
4.6 The document also reviews progress on
all the measures in the Programme and presents statistics on road
death rates for different Member States, and relative progress
in reducing them. In 1997, the UK had the second lowest number
of persons killed per million inhabitants (64 as against an EU
average of 116 and a highest figure of 254 in Portugal). The UK
reduced its death rate by 25% between 1991 and 1997, more or less
in line with the Community average (24%).
4.7 In connection with the proposal for
a Recommendation on maximum blood/alcohol levels in drivers, the
Communication recalls that there is an outstanding legislative
proposal to introduce a maximum limit of 0.5 mg/ml. However it
says that "the Commission recognise the principle of subsidiarity
in this field and the fact that the majority of Member States
have already moved to 0.5 mg/ml or less". It says the Recommendation
will emphasise "the need for more effective enforcement and
international co-operation in prosecuting drink driver offenders
as well as the adoption of 0.5 mg/ml or even lower limits for
certain (unspecified) categories". The UK is one of four
Member States which have a higher limit (the others are Italy,
Luxembourg, and Ireland).
4.8 The Communication also contains a Recommendation
encouraging governments, local and regional authorities of the
Member States to establish a practice of calculating costs and
effects of road safety measures, to increase investments in these
measures and to develop mechanisms that will enable the benefits
of road safety measures to be felt more directly by those taking
the decisions and bearing the costs of their implementation.
The Government's view
4.9 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 20
April 2000, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department
of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty) says:
"The Government has
recently published its new Road Safety Strategy to cover the period
up to the year 2010. This sets new targets for reducing deaths
and serious injuries on the road by 40%, and specifically for
children by 50%. It identifies over a hundred actions to be pursued
to achieve these targets.
"The Commission Communication deals with matters
in which the UK has been closely involved, and it will help to
raise the profile of road safety. The priority areas, which have
been identified dovetail well with plans in the Road Safety Strategy
although specific proposals, where they emerge, must be considered
on their own merits.
"The Road Safety Strategy stated that the Government
would consider the matter of the maximum permitted blood/alcohol
level in the European context. The Communication does not include
a new proposal but states that the Commission is preparing a Recommendation
to Member States. This is expected to cover issues such as lower
limits for specific categories of driver and enforcement practice.
The draft Council Directive of December 1988 on blood alcohol
levels COM(88) 707 remains on the table if the Council wishes
to discuss it.
"The Communication itself has no financial implications
for the UK. The financial implications of the actions covered
by priority areas would depend on how they are implemented. It
is significant, however, that the priorities were developed on
the basis of principles of cost effectiveness.
"Similarly, the Communication as such has no
impact on businesses. When firmer proposals are produced on individual
measures it will be possible to assess their implications and
include them in specific Explanatory Memoranda when they are required.
"The Presidency have asked for a full discussion
of the Communication at the next Transport Council in June. The
Commission Recommendation specifically on maximum blood/alcohol
levels is expected in the next few months."
Conclusion
4.10 We are glad to see that the Commission
has prioritised actions in this diverse programme, and we note
that the Government generally supports it. We are unclear from
the Minister's Explanatory Memorandum whether that support includes
a willingness to endorse the Recommendation on the costs and effects
of road safety measures and we ask for clarification on that point.
We note that the Recommendation on maximum blood/alcohol levels
is expected in the next few months and we await the Minister's
Explanatory Memorandum on it. We ask him at that stage to comment
on whether he sees any difficulty on grounds of subsidiarity in
accepting the recommendation, as well as dealing with its merits
and practical implications.
4.11 Pending the Minister's response
on the first of our questions, we leave this document uncleared.
8 (18044) 7447/97; see HC 155-ii (1997-98), paragraph
75 (22 July 1997). Back
9 This
involves a crashworthiness test and dissemination of comparative
findings through consumer organisations etc., which it is claimed
brings forward the benefits of new legislation by five years and
raises the level of protection for car occupants and, to a lesser
extent, other car users. Back
10 The
Commission Road Accident Data Base. Back
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