Highlights

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Europeans who break road safety rules when driving their own vehicles in EU states other than their home country will no longer be able to escape unnoticed. This is the essence of a future EU directive on which the transport ministers agreed in principle at their meeting on 2 December. The directive will give EU member states access to each other's vehicle registration data.

Drivers in the EU should expect to be identified as traffic offenders for speeding, driving without wearing a seat belt, failing to stop at a red light, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, not wearing a safety helmet, using lanes reserved for special transport or closed for other reasons, and illegally using mobile phones when driving.

The authorities of the EU member state in which the offence was committed will be able to identify the owner of the vehicle used when the rules were infringed (the person in whose name the vehicle is registered). Then that member state will send him or her a letter giving the details of the offence and stating the fine imposed according to its law.

The letter will be in the language the alleged offender is presumed to understand, for instance, the language of the vehicle registration document or one of the official languages of his home country.

How and to what extent the sanctions will actually be enforced will depend on the member states and their national laws.

The Commission will publish a summary of the rules of the road in force in all the member states on its website in all EU languages.

The directive should help improve road safety and guarantee equal treatment of drivers irrespective of their country of residence.

More information:
Press release (pdf)
Webcast press conference