American vehicles in Europe must not undermine safety standards
As the EU and the US discuss a deal on car imports, ten European organisations have sent a warning letter to the Financial Times about lowering vehicle safety standards in Europe. POLIS shares the concerns on road safety and has co-signed the letter.
The recent tensions between the EU and the US are now involving the car sector too. According to the report published in the Financial Times, EU officials see 'positive momentum' in talks with the US to avoid a trade war, and concluding a deal on cars is a 'priority'. This announcement worries European organisations from the transport sector, as the difference in vehicle safety standards is correlated to an increase in road accidents.
The prospect of the EU recognising US market vehicles as ‘equivalent’ to those produced inside the EU would allow them to be sold in the EU, and vice-versa. This would undermine the high safety standards that protect European road users. POLIS is concerned about the possibility of an EU-US deal on cars, recommending caution on changing safety standards. For this reason, POLIS, along with nine other European organisations—European Transport Safety Council, Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, Region I, Euro NCAP — The European New Car Assessment Programme, Transport & Environment, ANEC — The European Consumer Voice in Standardisation, FEVR — European Federation of Road Traffic Victims, Clean Cities Campaign, International Federation of Pedestrians, European Cyclists’ Federation—has co-signed the letter 'Brussels can’t give ground on vehicle safety standards'.
Road safety is non-negotiable
The EU and US standards are not equivalent. Vehicles sold in the EU meet higher and safer standards, including automated emergency braking and emergency lane-keeping systems. The EU introduced new standards last year, but none are currently mandatory in the US.
The high safety standards have decreased the number of road deaths in the EU by 16% since 2013, while in the US road deaths have increased by 25%. In particular, American pick-up trucks, because of their bigger, heavier, and taller design, represent a danger to vulnerable road users, as data show that for a pedestrian or cyclist, the risk of fatal injury increases by almost 200% when hit by a pick-up.
American-market pick-ups already are being sold in Europe under the loophole of the 'individual vehicle approval'. Car obesity is a serious threat to road safety, environmental protection, and social equity in cities. The trend of increasing vehicle size is rising in Europe too in recent years, and the weight of vehicles represents a major factor in accidents. POLIS supports the call for this loophole to be closed to prevent large and heavy US vehicles from circulating in the EU.
