In 2013, at least 26,025 people were killed in the European Union as a consequence of road collisions . In the same year, more than 199,000 people were recorded by the police as seriously injured. These figures would have been significantly higher had it not been for the measures already taken by the EU to mandate improvements in vehicle passive and active safety, most recently in 2009 in the last revision of the General Safety Regulation. As the EU has exclusive competence on vehicle safety measures and vehicle type approval under Article 114 of the EU treaty, these legally-binding tools represent the most direct and effective measures the EU has at its disposal to further reduce deaths and injuries on the road. Within the context of the EU target to halve road deaths between 2010 and 2020, the forthcoming revision of the General Safety Regulation will require bold action to ensure that road deaths continue to fall, and that vehicle safety improvements are not limited to the wealthiest consumers or member states. (Author/publisher)
Abstract