The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has welcomed the support of MEPs for improvements to the way dangerous driving is enforced across EU Member State borders.
MEPs have backed a European Commission proposal to extend the scope of existing rules on cross-border enforcement of traffic penalties and a new law which would see driving disqualifications issued in one Member State, also apply in other EU countries in a European Transport Committee meeting held on November 29.
On the range of offences that could be enforced across borders in the future, MEPs added ‘hit and run’ crashes where a driver flees the scene of a collision. This is in addition to supporting the initial proposal of the European Commission to add dangerous overtaking, wrong-way driving, use of an overloaded vehicle and some other offences not currently covered by existing rules.
MEPs also want offences to be followed up more quickly by the home Member States once a penalty has been issued to a foreign resident driver.
MEPs have also signalled their support for a planned new law that would see driving bans recognised across borders and made some small but significant improvements.
Ellen Townsend, Policy Director of ETSC said the votes in the European Parliament were a positive step for road safety and added it could further cut the number of foreign-registered drivers that currently get away with dangerous driving outside of their home country.
