News & Information for the Professional Driver Association (PDA)
The 2016 road safety statistics released today by the Commission show a drop of 2% in the number of fatalities recorded across the EU last year. 25,500 people lost their lives on EU roads in 2016, 600 fewer than in 2015 and 6,000 fewer than in 2010. A further 135,000 people were seriously injured on the road according to Commission’s estimates.
The European law makers have announced that it will be no longer permitted for professional drivers to spend their rest time in their vehicle.
This conclusion was presented by the Attorney General Evgeni Tanchev of the European Court of justice (EuGH) in Luxembourg.
Behind this decision is the Belgian transportation company Vaditrans BVBA’s legal action suit against the Belgian government. Vaditrans goal was to force the retraction of a decree made in April 2014 that in the event of a violation of the alleged prohibition, a fine of 1,800 EUR would follow. The Belgian State Council called on the EuGH for clarity in the context of a preliminary ruling. A final decision from the Court of Justice has not been communicated yet, but the EuGH generally closely follows the opinion of the Attorney General. At this time, the Court of Justice has not yet dealt with the question of whether in Article 8 section 6 and 8 of regulation Nr. 561/2006 established regular weekly rest periods for drivers can be spent in their vehicles.
Today the European Commission presents a proposal to update and clarify the rules on the initial qualification and periodic training of truck and bus drivers. The objective of this proposal is to contribute to higher road safety standards and to facilitate the mobility of professional drivers.
Today the European Commission presents a proposal to update and clarify the rules on the initial qualification and periodic training of truck and bus drivers. The objective of this proposal is to contribute to higher road safety standards and to facilitate the mobility of professional drivers.