European directives 2014/45/ & 2014/47
Today comes into force the new Directives on the periodical technical inspection of motor vehicles and their trailers (transposing the European directive 2014/45/UE). The directive covers passenger cars, trucks, buses, heavy-trailers, motorcycles and speed tractors, and defines the items to be tested during the roadworthiness test, the test methods, and the defects and their assessment. The directive also introduces minimum requirements for testing facilities, the training of inspectors and the supervising bodies. The objective is to strengthen controls on many safety issues such as brakes, tires, steering, lighting, equipment, pollution levels and to reduce by 50% the number of people killed on the road by 2020.
The new Directive is a step forward in the harmonization of in-use vehicle compliance. It includes the assessment of deficiencies, the use of electronic interfaces, sets the content of the roadworthiness certificate, minimum requirements for facilities and equipment, the frame for inspectors’ competence and training and defines the role of supervising bodies.
On the same day comes into force also the new directive on Road Side Inspection (2014/47). This directive provides common rules for the technical roadside inspection of trucks, buses, heavy-trailers and speed tractors. It imposes to Member States to monitor, at least once a year, 5% of the total number of vehicles of those relevant categories that have been registered in the EU. To this end, each Member State is required to conduct a number of initial roadside inspections in proportion to the total number of vehicles concerned registered in its territory. The results will be then transmitted to the European Commission every two years.
Both directives are fully adopted by Member States as part of the EU’s drive to create standardized inspection procedures, and in order to guarantee the safety of road users and the protection of the environment, reinforcing the existing system of inspections and establishing the minimum requirements to be met by vehicles traveling on the territory of the EU.