Brussels, 11/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - Expressing their concern at the high number of accidents involving lorries, MEPs have called on the Commission to review and toughen European legislation on the technical standards applied to heavy goods vehicles. In a declaration adopted on Thursday 10 March, the European Parliament (EP) said that the number of road deaths could be reduced by fitting technical devices to extend the field of view of lorry drivers. It calls for the directive in this area (Directive 2007/38/EC) to be reviewed and brought into line with technological advances and with the latest requirements on indirect vision devices so as to ensure a maximum safety level. MEPs are of the opinion that the 2007 directive considerably reduced standards on drivers' field of view and that its provisions are not well enough applied by member states. They also press the Commission to ensure that there are no exemptions from the requirement to fit advanced emergency braking systems and lane departure warning systems, as set out in the general safety directive - Directive (EC) No 661/2009.
MEPs say that heavy goods vehicles represent 3% of the vehicles in the EU, but are involved in 14% of fatal accidents, involving more than 4,000 deaths per year in the 27 member states. Every year in Europe, around 400 people, mainly unprotected road users, such as cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians, are killed because of blind spots in lorry drivers' fields of view. Many of these deaths could be avoided by fitting mirrors, and cameras and monitors, which are becoming ever less expensive, active warning systems advanced emergency braking systems and lane departure warning systems, the EP argues. (A.By./transl.rt)