Brussels, 20/12/2013 (Agence Europe) - The exclusion of scooters and motorised two-wheeled vehicles from the trialogue agreement on the vehicle technical inspection package on Wednesday 18 December is a “lost opportunity to reduce deaths on Europe's roads”, states the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC). Regular vehicle technical inspections are provided for high-powered vehicles only and not until 2022. This is a shortsighted decision, says the executive director of the Council, Antonio Avenoso, given that scooters and two-wheeled motorised vehicles represent a growing sector in the vehicle fleet. “Within a few years, there will be large numbers of ageing vehicles of this kind on Europe's roads, with no testing requirements in 11 member states. We call on these member states to bring in safety checks for vehicles at the earliest opportunity”, he added.
The Commission's proposal has therefore been greatly watered down by the co-legislators, but the European Transport Commissioner, Siim Kallas, was satisfied nonetheless: “the basic EC rules on vehicle testing date back to the 1990s and urgently need updating. Today's deal will strengthen the regime to test cars and other vehicles for technical failure in several key areas and raise standards across the EU”, he said. The Parliament and Council have still to adopt this provisional agreement formally. (MD/transl.fl)