FEMA, the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations, supports the European Commission in its efforts to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries as a result of road accidents.

The European Commission presented its vision in the 3rd Mobility package, calling for safe, clean and connected mobility.

The 3rd Mobility package is very important for motorcyclists, as it focusses on road safety and infrastructure. The package contains a number of issues that FEMA has been lobbying for over the last years, such as the revision of the Road Infrastructure Safety Management Directive.

The 3rd Mobility Package pays a lot of attention to connected and automated mobility. Important here is that the Commission clearly states in the annex that a code of conduct should be developed “for the safe transition to the higher levels of automation, to make sure that requirements and procedures take road safety considerations (mixed traffic, interaction with other road users, platooning) fully into account”. This is in line with FEMA’s position that (partly) automated and connected vehicles are not to provide a hazard for not-connected and -automated vehicles like motorcycles.

FEMA is content that road safety is clearly on the agenda of the European Commission. The Commission recognizes the need to invest in road safety in general and particularly in safe road infrastructure. Hopefully this will lead to better and safer roads, benefitting the European motorcyclists as well as other road users.

Initiatives from the European Commission that FEMA supports:

• The Commission’s recognition of motorcyclists as vulnerable road users.
• The Commission’s position that any future initiative will have to take into account the specific needs of vulnerable road users and of different user groups (age, gender, disabilities).
• The Commission’s proposal to extend the scope of legislation beyond the Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T) to primary roads relevant to cross-EU transport.
• The Commission’s intention to amend the current Road Infrastructure Safety Management Directive. This should lead to strong infrastructural improvements, including user-friendly adaptation of road restraint systems (central reservations and crash barriers) to prevent hazards to vulnerable road users.

Issues that FEMA would like to further discuss with the European Commission:

• The Commission’s intention to identify the need for further action in relation to protective clothing for motorcyclists.
• The Commission’s intention to assess the effect of eCall and evaluate the possible extension to other categories of vehicles, including motorcycles.