Brussels, 21/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - One week after the adoption by the Transport Council of a partial general agreement on the legislative package brought forward by the Commission, MEPs have been brought up to speed on the possibility of linking driver's cards to driving licences, as part of the review of arrangement on tachographs. At a hearing organised, on Tuesday 20 December, on the initiative of Silvia-Adriana Ticau (S&D, Romania), the European Parliament (EP) transport and tourism committee has been given additional information on the use of the new digital tachograph, including merging drivers' cards and driving licences. The Council came to no decision on merging the two, as some delegations remain wary of such a change. Tuesday's “mini-hearing” provided the opportunity to open discussion on the issue before MEPs begin to draft a position on the Commission proposals (amending Regulations 3821/85 and 561/2006).
Proper use of the tachograph allows the working and rest times of the 6 million professional transport drivers to be checked, which ensures fair competition in the European transport market and also guarantees decent working conditions for the drivers. It has an impact, too, on road safety, as one in three accidents involving heavy goods vehicles is due to driver tiredness. Digitisation of tachographs means that checks can be carried out remotely, thereby avoiding the loss of an hour's driving time for drivers who abide by the rules. While the Commission believes that the introduction of digital tachographs on all new vehicles since 2006 has been a success, as the system is less bureaucratic and more reliable, 1-2% of fraud still remains. Bringing the driver's card and the driving licence together in a single document is one of the ways that the risk of fraud could be reduced, by preventing drivers from exchanging drivers' cards, a practice that has been highlighted throughout the EU. (MD/transl.rt)