Road Safety European Transport Safety Council updates

Governments race to outline future plans for self-driving carsThe United States, China, Germany, Australia and the UK are among the countries to have made major announcements on rules governing self-driving cars in recent months, while the EU’s transport commissioner has promised a ‘master plan’ by the end of the year. ETSC says many safety questions remain unanswered. Read more...
Report supports calls for an EU target to reduce serious road injuriesNewly-published research carried out for the European Commission recommends that the EU should set a target to reduce the number of people seriously injured in road collisions. Read more...
 London plans to phase-out lorries with poor direct-visionIn a move designed to boost the safety of cyclists and pedestrians, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan has announced a new star rating scheme for lorries that could see vehicles with severe blind spots refused access to the city centre. Read more...
 Deaths on European railways continue to declineDeaths on European railways dropped by 9% last year, according to new data released by the International Union of Railways. Read more...
 Belgium and The Netherlands introduce new rules for fast electric bikesFast electric bikes that can travel up to 45km/h will be treated the same as mopeds according to new rules in place in Belgium from last month, and in The Netherlands from next year. Read more...
 Berlin hails police cycling patrolsA pilot project involving specialist police cycling patrols in central Berlin has been hailed as a success as figures showed a reduction in severe injuries of around 30%. Read more...
 REVIVE: ETSC launches a new programme focused on post-collision careETSC is launching a new three-year initiative aimed at improving emergency response time to road collisions, and post-collision care for victims. Read more...
 Asking The Pope to support action on road deaths and serious injuriesETSC Executive Director Antonio Avenoso and Project Manager Francesca Podda met His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican earlier this month. Read more...
 Stockholm, Vienna, Berlin and Dublin top European capital city safety rankingA new analysis of road deaths rates in European capitals has found a wide range of safety levels. Stockholm (0.7) and Vienna (1.1) lead the ranking in terms of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, with Berlin and Dublin (1.2) sharing third place. Read more...
 Germany to Tesla: “Stop using the name Autopilot”The German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt has written to Tesla calling on the company to stop using the ‘misleading’ term ‘Autopilot’ in its advertising. Read more...
 The US government wants a mobile phone ‘Driver Mode’ to reduce distractionThe US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued new guidelines aimed at encouraging phone manufacturers to introduce an automatic ‘Driver Mode’ to cut down on distracting apps and messages while driving. Read more...
 HGVs: Widespread tachograph manipulation detected in Germany; Belgium fights overloadingOne in four lorries checked on German roads last year showed signs of tachograph manipulation according to a report published by the German transport ministry in September. Read more...
 Awards highlight the companies driving down road collisions at workETSC has announced the 2016 winners of the PRAISE awards, recognising organisations that have taken outstanding measures to improve the safety of their vehicle fleets. Read more... 
 Commission consults on maritime safety legislationThe European Commission has opened a public consultation on maritime safety as part of its ‘refit’ deregulation exercise. Read more...  edit.