Joint letter to the Commission to establish an EU Road Safety Agency

European civil society organisations urge the European Commission to create an EU Road Safety Agency to strengthen road safety and ensure safe and consistent oversight of automated vehicles across the EU.

Road transport remains the only major transport mode without a dedicated EU safety authority, unlike aviation (EASA), maritime (EMSA), or rail (ERA). To address this gap, a coalition of civil society organisations (POLIS, European Transport Safety Council, Transport & Environment, Clean Cities Campaign, International Federation of Pedestrians, Eurocities, and European Cyclists’ Federation) has sent a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for the creation of a dedicated EU Road Safety Agency.

The absence of a central authority creates fragmented oversight, inconsistent enforcement, and unequal levels of protection for citizens across Member States. Establishing such a body is therefore essential for meeting the EU’s 'Vision Zero' objective of eliminating road deaths and serious injuries by 2050. It would also help the EU maintain high safety standards in the global race to deploy trustworthy automated mobility, preventing both safety failures and competitive disadvantage.

Centralised oversight for automated mobility

Given the rapid development of partially and fully automated vehicles, creating a centralised authority is more urgent than ever. These technologies are increasingly tested and deployed through complex cross-border projects, with software updates that evolve faster than national regulators can track. Although legislative updates strengthen rules, the lack of a central body still limits the EU’s ability to ensure consistent interpretation, supervision and enforcement.

A specialised road safety agency could:

• Coordinate testing, approval and monitoring of automated driving systems;
• Analyse market performance and incident data across the EU, commissioning independent crash investigations;
• Provide impartial advice on emerging safety technologies;
• Support the preparation of draft regulations.

Comparable functions already exist in EASA for drone operations and in ERA for rail interoperability and certification, serving as models that could be adapted to the road sector.

The organisations also highlight the need for EU-level oversight of vehicle recalls. A European agency could ensure that recall decisions are swift, harmonised, and effectively enforced, backed by a single EU-wide platform for monitoring and public information.

Coordinated leadership on road safety

The proposed agency would complement, not replace, national authorities. It would serve as a central hub for:

• Consistent supervision of vehicle safety systems and technologies;
• Coordinated market surveillance and recall enforcement;
• Research and data analysis underpinning EU road safety targets;
• Independent recommendations to the Commission and Member States.

Such an agency would fill a critical gap in the EU’s transport safety architecture and demonstrate real commitment to achieving Vision Zero. It would also strengthen Europe’s role as a global leader in safe, sustainable, and innovative mobility.

The signatories urge the Commission to consider establishing the agency in upcoming financial and legislative planning, recalling that the EU’s sustainable and smart mobility strategy committed to explore options for enhanced road-safety governance — a process still awaiting follow-up after a 2023 consultation.