BRUSSELS, 05 DECEMBER 2008

FIA welcomes this call for ever better vehicle safety and environmental performance
The FIA welcomes the outcome of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee vote on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning type-approval requirements for the general safety of motor vehicles (COM
(2008) 316 final) that took place on the 02nd of December 2008.

The FIA strongly supports all advanced safety features with the potential to bring significant improvements in road safety and in environmental performance. The FIA has worked very hard to promote the early adoption of advanced safety features proven to be effective and efficient, both via legislative and non-legislative measures.

Thanks to the earlier implementation (as from 1st of November 2011) of advanced safety features proven to be effective and efficient, such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), vehicles will become safer, which in turn will mean that life saving opportunities will not be missed. This should especially benefit younger drivers, who are the most vulnerable to being in accidents and the least likely to drive cars fitted with such advanced safety features.

Moreover, the fact that the European Parliament has recognised that technical progress is a dynamic on-going process is much appreciated by FIA member motoring and touring organisations. Thanks to the introduction of a review clause, advanced safety technologies, still in their infancy could be identified and targeted for future inclusion in regulatory measures when mature.

But, in order to be able to guarantee the accurate functioning of these advanced safety features, in other words their efficiency, it is of paramount importance that access to their technical information is secured for the purposes of breakdown assistance, repair and maintenance.

“The outcome of the vote will accelerate the pace of introduction of vehicles that are far safer and more environmental friendly. This can only make Europe’s roads both greener and safer to the benefit of all” said to Wil Botman, Director General of the FIA European Bureau.

For more information please contact: Frédéric Melchior, Researcher FIA European Bureau
Tel. +32 2 282 08 13
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Note to the editors
The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the world’s leading motoring and touring organisation, represents via its affiliated members, national motoring and touring organisations over 100 million motorists worldwide and 34 million motorists in the European Union.
Europe’s motoring and touring organisations have as their highest priority to make mobility more sustainable, i.e.