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FIM Participates in ETSC Event on Reducing Drink Driving in Europe
On 20th February, FIM participated in a lunch debate held by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) at the European Parliament in Brussels. The event, titled Reducing Drink Driving in Europe, facilitated the launch of ETSC’s report Progress in reducing drink driving in Europe. The report has been published in advance of the foreseen European Commission proposal for a revision of General and Pedestrian Safety Regulations as part of the third mobility package due to be published on the 2nd of May. The European institutions were represented by Dr. Dieter-Lobrecht Koch, Member of European Parliament and vice-chair of the European Parliament’s Transport and Tourism Committee, and Fotini Ioannidou, Head of the Road Safety Unit, DG MOVE, European Commission. Following their contributions, Professor Herman De Croo, Chairman of the Board of directors of the ETSC, Member of Belgian Parliament, gave the opening remarks. Dovile Adminaite presented the ETSC report, Progress in Reducing Drink Driving in Europe, and underlined the ETSC’s key recommendations for European policymakers. ETSC principally forwarded that the EU require all new professional vehicles be fitted with alcohol interlocks as well as all cars used by repeat drink-driving offenders. The ETSC also called for the European Commission to include a measure stating that a standardised electronic interface, which would facilitate the installation of alcohol interlocks, be fitted in all new cars in its proposal for a revision of the General Safety Regulation. The event also included presentations on efforts to reduce drink driving from a wide-range of stakeholders, including national, industry and enforcement representatives. Erik Ernits, Head of Traffic Safety Department at the Estonian Road Administration, and Claudia Evers, German Federal Highway Research Institute, gave an overview of the situation in their countries. Pierre - Olivier Bergeron, on behalf of the Brewers of Europe and David Pugh, Heineken, spoke about the role of industry in reducing drink driving. Finally, Ruth Purdie, Secretary General of the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) presented on the role of enforcement in tackling drink driving.
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