Skip to main content

EU policymakers must facilitate automated motoring, say European Motoring Clubs

The Eurocouncil of the Federation Nationale de l’Automobile (FIA) claims that EU policymakers must take responsibility for facilitating the deployment of automated motoring. Made up of 73 FIA Automobile Clubs in Europe and with 37 million members, the Eurocouncil believes in the potential for automation to improve road safety, and urges EU institutions to streamline the deployment of this technology. The declaration was adopted at the annual FIA Region I Spring Meeting, taking place in Gammarth, Tunisia fro
May 7, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
The Eurocouncil of the Federation Nationale de l’Automobile (FIA) claims that EU policymakers must take responsibility for facilitating the deployment of automated motoring. Made up of 73 FIA Automobile Clubs in Europe and with 37 million members, the Eurocouncil believes in the potential for automation to improve road safety, and urges EU institutions to streamline the deployment of this technology. The declaration was adopted at the annual FIA Region I Spring Meeting, taking place in Gammarth, Tunisia from 5-8 May 2015.

FIA Region 1 president, Thierry Willemarck, said: “This is the moment when automation is poised to dramatically improve road safety. Policymakers need to create the best legislative environment as this technology becomes a reality. Users must be at the heart of this deployment as well. They need to be informed and ready to adopt this next evolution in mobility.”

The Eurocouncil declaration demands that a concerted effort is made by EU policymakers to create a path to automated motoring, especially by considering the specific driver education and training needs in the revision of the European Driving Licence Directive, seeking international harmonisation of road signs and markings necessary for automated road traffic and enabling wide accessibility to road infrastructure and traffic data needed for automated operation within the provisions of the European ITS Directive and implementation.

They must also direct infrastructure-related investment of the TEN-T programme and Connecting Europe Facility to prepare road and roadside infrastructure for automation, support the development of vehicle design standards that promote driver supervised automation, in particular to safeguard driver vigilance and supp[ort an adapted legal framework, taking into account changing liability rules.

Related Content

  • With C-ITS we can get ourselves connected
    June 27, 2025
    Workzones need to be safer for drivers and workers – and the technology exists to harmonise safety with mobility needs, says Swarco’s Daniel Lenczowski
  • 3M reflect on why CAVs need lines and signs
    May 10, 2017
    Tammy Meehan and Thomas Hedblom of 3M consider the ongoing development of technology needed to introduce connected and autonomous vehicles. The transportation industry is in the midst of the most dramatic shift since Henry Ford introduced horseless carriages. Already we are seeing the increased use of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) which, along with the introduction of autonomous vehicles in the next few decades, will bring profound changes to vehicles and the environment in which they operate.
  • EU funds cross-border driving of electric vehicles
    November 19, 2014
    The EU's TEN-T Programme is to invest over US$4.4 million in studies and pilot deployment of 115 high power re-charging points on Central European roads, to enable long-distance driving of electric vehicles and promote sustainable transport modes. The EU says Europe needs to adapt the road infrastructure to meet consumers' e-mobility requirements as the number of cleaner and more efficient vehicles, including electric ones, is increasing. One priority is to enable efficient long distance driving on an i
  • Sorting myth from reality in vehicle automation
    June 2, 2016
    Bob Denaro looks beyond the hype surrounding autonomous vehicles to the challenges that still need to be overcome. Automated vehicles (AVs) may be the perfect storm – in a positive way - with the automobile manufacturers, the government and consumers all embracing the emergence of a transformational new technology and product.