Smart Tachographs: Tough negotiations, but outcome will improve EU road safety

The adoption of new EU rules on ‘Smart Tachographs’ or road transport recording equipment will improve road safety, according to EPP Group Shadow Rapporteur Jim Higgins MEP.

"The European Commission found that up to 45,000 vehicles are in breach of EU tachograph rules at any one time. Breaches include not adhering to minimum driver rest periods or maximum driving times, resulting in fatigued drivers and increased road safety risks," MEP Higgins explained.

“The proper use of smart or digital tachographs will ensure that professional drivers stick to the EU laws regarding rest times. They will also allow the relevant police authorities to run remote checks on vehicles without physical road checkpoints for a more efficient monitoring system.”

While technical specifications have yet to be formalised, the Irish EU Presidency of the European Council this week reached an agreement with the European Parliament’s negotiating team, including Mr Higgins, on the draft rules.

The new rules stipulate that smart tachographs would be fitted to new vehicles of more than 3.5 metric tons on EU roads, and retrofitted to all trucks and busses within 15 years.

“It is estimated that implementing the digital system will save European transport companies up to €515 million per year by reducing administrative burdens overall.

“The text represents a compromise, but this is a win-win situation, with road safety and improved working conditions at the core of our aims in amending this forthcoming legislation,” Mr Higgins added.

If adopted, Member States will be encouraged to roll-out training and equipment to enable the authorities to utilise the tachograph data that will become available.

“We need a coherent, EU-wide approach to the use of smart tachographs to secure a successful outcome. The harmonisation of the revised rules must also be complemented by consistent enforcement by the authorities. No party to the negotiations got everything they wanted, but it is a vast improvement to the current system,” Mr Higgins concluded.