Daytime Running Lights

These are the front page News Items. Only Club members can add news items to this forum.
Locked
Eamonn Townsend

Daytime Running Lights

Post by Eamonn Townsend »

Daytime Running Lights for Cars
EU Governments want DRL out of ACEA Agreement

The EU Governments are opposed to Daytime Running Lights (DRL) being fitted on all new cars produced from 2002. This unanimous vote was taken by the Internal Market Council of Ministers at their meeting of last week (26th November 2001). The exclusion of DRL was the condition for the Member States accepting this self-commitment presented by the European Car Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) to the Commission as an alternative to a Directive intended to make car fronts safer for vulnerable road users.

FEMA welcomes the position of the Council of Ministers on DRL. EU countries have already set their own national requirements on the use of lights depending on various aspects such as weather and light conditions, experience and public consensus. EU goverments also said that the introduction of a harmonised legislation on DRL needs to be carefully and thoroughly investigated before considering any harmonised application in Europe. FEMA states clearly that there is simply no room for harmonisation on this matter.

The FEMA campaign against the inclusion of DRL measures in the ACEA Commitment, undertaken jointly with the other European federations of vulnerable road users -cyclists (ECF), pedestrians (IPF) and accident victims (FEVR)- has already produced very positive results: FEMA met with both parties behind this agreement, ACEA and Commissioner for Enterprise Mr Liikanen, to state the position of European vulnerable users against EU harmonisation on DRL. FEMA also provided the Commission with research evidence supporting that there was no positive benefit in accident reduction through DRL.

FEMA Campaigns' Officer Antonio Perlot said: "It is important that organisations representing vulnerable road users are consulted and that their views are carefully considered, since at the end of the day they are the ones whose safety is going to be directly affected by these measures".

FEMA is now going to concentrate its efforts on the next steps of the procedure, including representations by the Members of the European Parliament who have already been informed of the position of European motorcyclists. The opinion of the EP should be made public by next Spring.
Locked