Verplichte montage van dode hoekspiegel ook voor oudere vrachtwagens
April 2006In april 2006 vond een publieke consultatie plaats over een voorstel om ook oudere vrachtwagens in Europa te voorzien van een dode hoek spiegel verplicht te stellen. Na het aannemen van een concept regeling door de Europese Commissie op 5 oktober 2006 hebben ook de Ministers van Verkeer van alle Europese landen overeenstemming bereikt over een concept regelgeving welke samen met het Europees Parlement zal worden opgesteld. Een eerste bespreking door het Europees Parlement in de Commissie van Transport komt in grote lijnen overneemt het voorstel van de Ministers van Verkeer.
Verwacht wordt dat op korte termijn overeenstemming wordt bereikt voor een verplichte verbetering van het zicht op de dode hoek aan de niet bestuurders zijde. Belangrijkste onderwerpen zijn:
- - Alle vrachtwagens van na 1 januari 2000 in alle 27 Europese landen zullen moeten worden voorzien van een verbeterd zijzicht.
- - Landen die eerder zijn overgegaan tot een verplichting voor verbeterd zijzicht te weten Nederland, België en Denmarken hoeven geen aanvullende maatregelen te nemen
- - De nieuw aan te brengen spiegel(s) zullen 95% van de breedzichtspiegel en 85% van de trottoirspiegel conform van het vereiste zichtveld van nieuwe vrachtwagens 2003/97?EC in beeld moeten brengen
[1] In April and May 2006, the services of the inland transport directorate of the Directorate General for Energy and Transport of the European Commission launched a public consultation ("Safer Trucks through Blind Spot Mirrors") on their approach to road infrastructure safety management, with a view to preparing a proposal for a Council and Parliament Directive on this matter.
The consultation process was concluded on 19 May 2006.
38 Comments were received from national governments, research institutes and experts in the field of road safety, health, transport and road safety organisations, users associations and road operators associations. http://ec.europa.eu/transport/roadsafety/vehicles/blind_spot_mirrors_en.htm
[2] For this reason, a proposal for a Directive on the retrofitting of mirrors to heavy goods vehicles registered in the Community has been adopted by the Commission on 5 October 2006
(see for more information:http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2006/com2006_0570en01.pdf
[3] Council of the Ministers of Transport agreed on 12 December 2006 an proposal for a Directive of retrofitting of mirrors to heavy goods verhicles registrated in the community (Click here to read more)http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/06/st16/st16903.en06.pdf
[4] Retrofit blind spot mirrors to older lorries, says Transport Committee -
Retrofitting blind spot mirrors to heavy lorries in operation since 2000 would cost €100 - 150 per lorry, but could save up to 1,200 lives in Europe by 2020. Each year, 400 Europeans - many of them kids on bikes - are killed when lorry drivers changing direction at a crossing or roundabout fail to see them in a blind spot around the vehicle.
(Click here to read more) Under a 2003/97/ EU Directive, new lorries must be equipped with blind spot mirrors from 2007 on. But the Transport Committee, endorsing a Commission proposal for a directive, says that these mirrors should be also be retrofitted to older lorries, registered as from 1 January 2000.
At current replacement rates, the EU population of some 5 million lorries (not counting those owned in Romania and Bulgaria) would not be entirely replaced until 2023. Until then, the danger to vulnerable road users, particularly children, would continue to exist, and this is unacceptable, says Reporter Paolo Costa (ALDE, IT).
The Committee therefore demands that owners be legally obliged to retrofit these mirrors to heavy lorries in operation since 2000. Its key difference with some Transport Ministers on this proposal is that it believes that the implementation deadline - currently two years - is too generous, given that Member States already have a year to transpose the directive into their national laws. To prevent any delay in retrofitting, the Committee proposes a clear final deadline: 30 June 2008.
"Delaying the introduction of the measure would reduce its effectiveness and the beneficial effects of its implementation, which are to save lives. An extra 1,200 lives could be saved up to 2020, if the implementation was to start from 2008 and the societal costs would correspond to 2.4 billion Euro", said Mr Costa.
MEPs do not anticipate any practical problem in retrofitting Lorries registered after 2000. The estimated cost would be € 100 - 150 per lorry, i.e. the cost of one stop at a petrol station.
The committee notes that Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark have already implemented national retrofitting schemes. It also favours accompanying measures, including awareness-raising campaigns for all road users, and would welcome the collection of data in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis and a better strategy for preventing blind spot accidents.
Finally, the committee says that a study should be commissioned on the desirability of bringing other types of vehicles, and in particular smaller good vehicles, within the scope of this legislation.
This report was adopted with 38 votes in favour, none against and 3 abstentions. (for more information click here)
Procedure: first reading, co-decision report. Plenary vote: May (Strasbourg)
26/03/2007
Committee on Transport and Tourism
In the chair : Paolo Costa (ALDE, IT)
The Transport Committee agreed on 27.03.07 on the next amendments to the Commission Proposal of October 5th, 2006 on Rear View Mirrors for all existing trucks in all 27 member states. A summary of the amendments that have been accepted are as follows: Amendment n° 21: Sets an introduction date of one year after publication of the Directive - but not later than 30 June 2008.
- Amendment n° 22: Requires compliance with a reduced field of view of 95% and of 85 % for Class IV and Class V mirrors respectively.
- Amendment n° 23: Permits the use of additional mirrors if need be
- Amendment n° 29: Asks for an evaluation report after three years
- Amendment n° 60: Applies to vehicles registered after 1 January 2000.
The Transport Committee reporter will now start discussions with the Council to try to achieve an early agreement which if reached will negate the need for a second reading.
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