EU road safety progress under threat from new era of deregulation

ETSC highlights five critical areas where recent legislative changes or proposals are actively undermining safety:

• Small electric vehicle safety “freeze” : a promised 10-year halt on new safety requirements for small EV's, despite 40% of road deaths occurring in the urban environments where these vehicles proliferate.
• The rise of 60t “megatrucks”: pushing for cross-border movement of massive “gigaliners” that pose extreme risks to infrastructure and vulnerable road users.
• Standards dilution: the risk of a shift toward mutual recognition of US vehicle standards, threatening to flood EU markets with heavier, less-regulated SUVs and pickups.
• Younger lorry drivers: revisions to the Driving Licence Directive that lower minimum ages for HGV drivers, despite clear evidence of higher risk profiles for younger operators.
• Technical inspection gaps: leaving 70% of the motorcycle fleet (mopeds and motorcycles up to 125cc) without mandatory EU-wide annual safety checks.