Our concerns

Promoting mobility in Europe
Mobility is a first-class driver of economic growth. Take, for example, logistics: for years, the logistics branch has been constantly creating new jobs. With a turnover of EUR 836 billion, logistics is now ranked third in Europe behind the construction and food industries. The work of the logistics sector facilitates the exchange of goods between producers and consumers – making smooth mobility a precondition of employment and prosperity in Europe.

But quite apart from the hard economic data, increasing mobility also plays a major part in the success of European integration. Border barriers are largely a thing of the past; the freedom of movement and residence enable EU citizens to find employment and enjoy a secure lifestyle far from their country of origin – a change strengthening the potential for individual development.

However, the EU only seems to have no borders at first glance. When it comes to traffic laws and violations, or regulations on fines, each individual country continues to apply its own particular standards. That makes travelling across Europe by car a bewildering experience, where drivers sometimes have to face contradictory traffic laws. The EAC is calling for greater clarity in EU traffic law and is developing viable solutions to meet the challenges of growth in the transport sector – an approach supporting and promoting mobility in Europe.

Harmonising traffic laws
A car journey across Europe is subject to a range of different national traffic laws. For example, each Member State continues to apply its own particular traffic regulations on the use of high-visibility reflective vests for car and motorcycle drivers. An overview of differences will be added shortly.

Traffic violations abroad are another difficult area. There is still no guarantee that, for instance, the regulations and devices for traffic speed measurement are actually benchmarked and standardised. There is also a lack of standardisation in the cross-border system of fines. As things stand, drivers charged with motoring offences do not automatically have to be provided with a copy of the charges in their own language – and that leads to unnecessary problems and lawsuits.

Achieving realistic agreements
A pragmatic and cost-conscious approach is needed to harmonise the core road traffic regulations across Europe. In the EAC's view, that means coordinating laws where this encourages transparency and comprehensibility – and avoiding over-regulation where the harmonisation process is too complex.

Improving road safety
The EU Commission has set the targets itself. Taking the 2000 figures as a baseline and despite increasing traffic density, the number of fatalities on European roads are to be halved by 2010. The EAC fully and unconditionally supports this goal.

Intelligent vehicle technologies have a special role to play. Over the last years, the automobile industry has developed telematic systems – for example, vehicle distance control or lane-change assistance. Together with traditional measures, these could contribute significantly to greater traffic safety. In addition, eCall is presently being developed as standard in-vehicle emergency call equipment. If, for example, a car is involved in a serious traffic accident, the eCall device automatically calls the nearest emergency centre and transmits the exact location of the accident.

Driving forward reliable safety technologies
User-friendly technologies could save lives. However, the first step here is to ensure that the various intelligent vehicle systems are compatible throughout Europe. Secondly, there needs to be consistent standards set for licensing and registering such systems. These two conditions have to be met before car drivers can rely totally on security technologies when travelling in neighbouring countries. Moreover, measures have to be taken to safeguard consumers' rights – for example, ensuring the effective protection of personal data in automatic registration systems. This too is a focus of the EAC's efforts.

Finding sustainable solutions
There's no doubt: sustainable growth is the basis of increased transportation and mobility. The EAC is calling for a transport policy where solutions balance economic, ecological and social factors.

Every mode of transport needs to be optimally used. For example, in inner cities with large numbers of people, this means improving the quality and appeal of the public transport system. At the same time, the infrastructure for cyclists ought to be further developed, from cycle routes and paths to better bike parking facilities. In rural areas, though, a car is indispensable, both now and in the future. In this case, the aim must be to increase the efficiency of car use. The future trends here point to intelligent mobility management – car sharing or optimally aligned modes of transport.

Encouraging dialogue
The EAC is committed to sustainable traffic concepts that take account of all road users. Europe offers the chance of learning from one another. How are other countries coping with these challenges? What ideas on sustainable mobility are they developing? What can be transferred to other countries? In the coming years, as a partner for mobility, the EAC will be driving forward this dialogue and exchange of knowledge.