The new rules for safer roads in the EU, adopted on April 16, will make advanced safety equipment mandatory in all new road vehicles sold on the EU market. They are likely to apply as from May 2022 for new models and from May 2024 for existing models. 

This after European Members of Parliament adopted new measures to improve road safety and reduce accidents. 

EU roads are the safest in the world with an average of 49 road fatalities per million inhabitants, against 174 deaths per million globally. Road fatalities in the EU have reduced in the last two decades, but statistics show that the decrease in the fatality rate on our roads is stagnating. 

The new road safety rules aim to adapt existing legislation as well, taking into account technological advancements and trends such as an aging population, new causes of distraction for drivers (especially the use of mobile phones while driving) and the number of cyclists and pedestrians on EU roads which is increasing. 

 

For instance, all new vehicles will have to include about 30 life-saving technologies, from intelligent speed assistance to make a driver aware when exceeding the speed limit, driver drowsiness and attention warning, among others. 

Trucks and buses will be required to include direct vision features, allowing the driver to see vulnerable road users, and alert systems detecting the presence of cyclists and pedestrians. 

The rules will also have to be approved by the Council before they can be enforced. 

Check out the infographic about fatalities on EU roads. 

Malta’s case 

During the second quarter of 2019, Maltese roads registered six road traffic fatalities, according to the latest National Statistics Office (NSO) 

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