EFA and ERC present their BLS project to the European Parliament
On June 22nd, EFA and ERC presented their BLS project to the European Parliament. Great success of the initiative. Guests of the event organized by the EFA partners, SD4MED, Secretary General Dr Manuel Picardi had the opportunity to officially present the video of the song on Basic Life Support. Dr Picardi states: “In about a week since its publication on Warner’s YouTube channel, more than 15,000 views have been recorded. We are very satisfied with the success of our initiative. We are only at the beginning. In addition to the English and Italian versions, we are also translating the song into French, Spanish and Arabic.
We are confident that we have many views. This could guarantee us the purchase of defibrillators, to be donated to hospitals, organizations or institutions that need them. In September the video will be presented at the “Road Safety Film Festival” organized by Lasermedia during the works of WP.1 at UNECE in Geneva. The videos will be also shown during theory lessons in driving schools around the world. The second phase of the project should include the training of EFA trainers through the experts of the ERC (European Resuscitation Council) network”.
Congress of Mobiliance in Mandelieu-La Napoule
The 58th Congress of French driving schools association took place on 3, 4 and 5 June in Mandelieu- La Napoule. More than 700 members attended: a success as usual.
After 38 years of CNPA, the Board members have decided to change the name of the association to embrace a word more suited to contemporary needs. The contraction “Mobiliance” wants place the emphasis on sustainable. After all, in France, driving schools is none other than one of the 23 sectors of the automotive supply chain, which has been represented within the large CNPA for about 40 years.
Mr Patrice Bessone, reconfirmed President, introduced the participants to the latest innovations in the field of driving school driving training. Friday was dedicated to the technological innovations of vehicles, with a session dedicated to the electric ones.
Saturday’s work focused on two topics: how to manage the e-learning platforms and it has been presented a periodic training project for elderly people. EFA and CNAE President, Mr Enrique Lorca, explained the success achieved in Spain in the matter of e-learning platforms.
On Sunday morning the event had a more international mood. The EFA Secretary General, Manuel Picardi, presented the work that the European federation is carrying out in the field of training, explaining how the EFA Training Matrix works. EFA supports and has already presented to international institutions a compulsory theoretical training model, focused on developing awareness of the risks associated with driving.
The President Patrice Bessone declares himself satisfied with the congress work: “We are very happy with the work we have done and are still doing in these days, to guarantee our colleagues a future of quality training. Thanks to our strong ties with the EFA, we have also managed to make our voices heard by the European institutions. Only united can we complete the challenges that arise day after day”.
CIECA Congress in Naples
In early June, the 54th General Assembly and the “offline” Congress of CIECA, the international association of examiners and examination centres, were held.
An intense two days of work after a long forced break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to manage the ADAS is one of the most contemporary: novice and expert drivers, both may face complex challenges in acquiring the skills necessary to make operate the new generation of vehicles.
Mr Classen’s questions are very simple: “How can we help older drivers acquire ADAS management skills, enabling them to continue driving safely and remain mobile? How to design and develop educational programs that balance the need for mobility with the needs of living in a modern society? “
Some answers are given by the numerous speakers participating in the event.
Among the most interesting interventions are from Dr Pedro Huerta of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Florence and Dr Gianluca Di Flumeri of the Department of Molecular Medicine of La Sapienza in Rome.
Dr Huerta presented the results of a two-year study on motorcycle accident and the role of ABS in reducing the risk of losing control of the vehicle in the event of sudden braking. After analysing the results on the most frequent accident cases, he provided targeted training to reduce exposure to them.
Dr Di Flumeri brought the results of the research carried out with BrainSigns in a Italian driving school, evaluating the difference in attention, concentration and learning of students, comparing online and in face-to-face students. The results highlighted what many teachers already knew and complained about for some time: online emergency training was very useful, but that’s enough. The level of attention and understanding of online learners is lower than the level of face-to-face learners. When it comes to passing an exam just to pass it, the results should not be much different. But if the purpose is to understand why to adopt a behaviour, the consequences of a wrong choice, things are completely different. One of Albert Einstein’s most famous quotes describes the meaning of driving school work: “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”. All the event presentations are available to EFA members (ask to EFA secretariat).
EFA takes the floor in the Romanian Parliament
EFA was invited to intervent in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies during the event: “International Conference Human Behavior in Road Safety 2022”. The Conference was held under the auspices of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of Romania, at the Palace of Parliament. The Conference aimed to contribute to changing collective behavior of the road users and to promote preventive measures and good practices to reduce road fatalities. To the event participated European and national policy-makers, Ministers, MEPs, representatives of EU institutions, field of practitioners and business representatives. There were over 200 participants. Following this event, during November of this year, round tables will be organized with the aim of developing the ideas collected from each panel of the conference, in the form of a strategic and unitary international forum.
Special thanks go to all the organizers of the event and their effort to reduce the number of road accidents in their country. Road safety which also passes through a training system carried out by professional trainers from driving schools.
Excellence in Road Safety Awards 2022
Registration to attend our Excellence in Road Safety Awards 2022 now open!
We are very excited to announce registration to attend our annual Excellence in Road Safety Awards is now open. Our ceremony will be a hybrid event taking place on Monday 17 October 2022 15:00 – 18:00 CET in Brussels and online. Places to attend in person will be limited and a separate confirmation will be provided
ETSC PIN Report 2022 is published
The EU27 collectively reduced the number of road deaths by 31% over the period 2011-2021, from 28,865 in 2011 to 19,823 in 2021. There were 57,095 fewer deaths on EU roads over the last decade than there would have been if deaths had continued at the same level as in 2011. The overall progress in reducing road deaths on EU roads was positive from 2011 until 2014 with a 16% decrease. But the good start to the decade was followed by five consecutive years of stagnation. In 2020 there was an exceptional drop of 17% compared to 2019, strongly related to Covid-19 travel restrictions across Europe. Similarly, 2021 saw a drop of 13% with respect to 2019, but the number of road deaths increased by 5% with respect to 2020, influenced by a gradual relaxation of travel restrictions across Europe.
DGT and ETSC: Road Safety Strategies – Saving lives
Road Safety Strategies: Saving lives, Madrid, Spain
On 7 July 2022 at 09:15 – 13.00 the Directorate General for Traffic in collaboration with ETSC organizes a new event on road safety.
This PIN Talk will focus on the role of road safety strategies in helping to reduce road deaths and serious injuries.
Representatives from Spain, Finland, Ireland and Portugal will all present their respective road safety strategies, outlining how the actions and ambitions outlined in the documents respond to the needs of each country.
A draft agenda can be found here.
To attend the event please register using this form.
UN Regulation extends automated driving up to 130 km/h in certain conditions
A new milestone in mobility has been reached with the adoption of a proposal to extend automated driving in certain traffic environments from the current limit of 60 km/h to up to 130 km/h.
The amendment to UN Regulation No. 157 adopted by the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations extends the maximum speed for Automated Driving System (ADS) for passenger cars and light duty vehicles up to 130 km/h on motorways, and allows automated lane changes, among other dispositions. It will enter into force in January 2023 in those contracting parties which decide to apply it.
