The TRUST Project started in Vienna!
On the 21st and 22nd of May the Consortium of the European Project TRUST was hosted in Austria for the kick-off meeting. The acronym TRUST means “Traffic Safety Culture – A Systematic Transition Towards Shared Responsibility for Safe and Sustainable Mobility in the EU”. The Consortium joins 13 EU Members from 9 EU Countries.
The overall aim of TRUST is to “Contribute to a significant reduction of fatal and seriously injured traffic victims, by growing a strong traffic safety culture in Europe”.
In order to achieve this overall aim it is needed:
- A clear and operational definition of traffic safety culture (TSC) and its underlying components
- Convincing evidence that a strong traffic safety culture reduces the crash risk on the roads
- Tools to assess the level of TSC and its components
- Guidance on effective interventions that will increase the level of TSC
- Effective dissemination of tools, guidance and good practice to boost TSC all over Europe.
The TRUST’s objectives are therefore:
- To define clearly the concept and TSC and make it suitable as a starting point for models, tools and intervention mechanisms.
- Develop a validated model on the relationship between TSC and road safety.
- Show the added value of TSC for adopting a Safe System approach integrated with sustainable mobility.
- Develop practical tools that can be used to assess TSC at all levels, and as a baseline for interventions.
- Develop guidance and intervention mechanisms for improving TSC in communities and organisations.
- Test and evaluate models, tools and interventions in seven pilots, representing different road safety contexts.
- Create the TRUST platform with easily accessible information, tools, and benchmarking facilities as the starting point for all communication, dissemination and exploitation activities.
The contribution of EFA will be related to the development of a training programme for young moped riders and other matters linked to the domain of training. Some training Pilots across EU are foreseen in the next years. Follow the EFA newsletter, you will be informed about the next steps.
57th CIECA Event in Porto
CIECA, the International Commission for Driver Testing has organized the 57th CIECA General Assembly and Congress, in Porto, Portugal, on 28–29 May 2025.
Under the theme “Assessing the Difference – Different Strategies Towards a Common Goal: Vision Zero,” this event has brought together leading experts in driver education, road safety, and mobility to exchange knowledge and ideas, in an environment where they can collaborate and help develop effective solutions to eliminate road traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
A special thanks goes to the Portuguese association of driving schools ANIECA (EFA Full Member) led by Antonio Reis, in collaboration with vice presidents Antonio Pais Neto and Pedro Saldanha, who organized the CIECA 2025 event.
This year too, interesting news regarding the world of licensing have been presented, some of which also involve the European Federation of Driving Schools. EFA has been participating in various Working Groups for several years. This year’s delegation consisted of EFA President Enrique Lorca (CNAE), Vice President Stefan Ebner (WKO), Treasurer Jeanette Jedbäck Hindenburg (STR), Raul Villadrich (CNAE), Jiri Novotny (Tým silniční bezpečnosti) and Nicolas Akarsu (EDISER).
ETSC Annual Report 2024
ETSC is proud to announce the publication of the ETSC Annual Report 2024, highlighting a year of impactful advocacy and cross-border collaboration in the pursuit of safer roads across Europe.
From championing 30 km/h urban speed limits and tackling loopholes in EU vehicle safety regulations, to supporting EU Member States through the EU-funded Road Safety Exchange programme, ETSC continues to be a leading voice for road safety in Europe. Read the Report 2024 at
https://mailchi.mp/etsc/annual_report_2024?e=5f52eb2a51
Updated rules for safer roads, less air pollution and digital vehicle documents
For better road safety and air quality across the EU, the European Commission is proposing a comprehensive overhaul of the EU’s road safety and vehicle registration rules. The new rules will take into account the growing presence of electric vehicles and adapt to emerging technologies. They will introduce enhanced inspections, including periodic technical inspections for electric vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems, annual inspections for older cars and vans, and advanced emission testing methods to detect high-emitting vehicles to reduce fine particles pollution. Read more
MEP question on supporting autonomous vehicles and innovation in the EU automotive sector
The action plan for the automotive sector identifies autonomous vehicles (AVs) as a key technology that is expected to generate a global added value for the sector of EUR 400 billion by 2035. However, while the United States and China have moved forward with AV deployment, in Europe we are lagging behind.
EU automotive industry is at a critical juncture and must embrace advanced technologies to remain globally competitive. AVs represent a key sector where the EU could invest more, as highlighted in the Draghi report, but progress is being hindered by fragmentation in the single market and other constraints. Read the question and the answer from the EU Commission.
ERTRAC 2025 Conference & MEP Event “Autonomous Vehicles in EU. Driving the Future”
We are pleased to inform you about the upcoming ERTRAC Conference 2025, which will take place on 1st July in Brussels. Key moment for the European road transport community to come together, the 2025 edition, “Which Research Agenda for Road Transport in FP10?”, will centre the discussions around research priorities for road transport and explore how innovation can support EU climate and mobility goals.
The session will feature:
- Christian Merkt, BMW Group, Chairman of the CCAM Association
- Jean-Baptiste Burtscher, Valeo, Group External Affairs and R&D Partnerships Director
- Kristof Rombaut, Advisor Innovation PMO, Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic, CEDR CAD
- Margriet Van Schijndel, Program Director Responsible Mobility, Eindhoven AI Systems Institute, TU Eindhoven
Secure your spot now! You can register by filling out the participation form
“Autonomous Vehicles in the EU. Driving the Future” @ the European Parliament
EFA encourages you to attend the event “Autonomous Vehicles in the EU. Driving the Future”, hosted by MEP Pierfrancesco Maran (S&D), on the 2nd July at the European Parliament in Brussels from 15:00 to 17:00 (CEST). This event will bring together European decision-makers and transport stakeholders to explore the future of automated mobility in Europe.
Register here:
https://www.ccam.eu/autonomous-vehicles-in-the-eu-driving-the-future-the-european-parliament
The 2025 ETSC Road Safety Performance Index Conference
Tuesday 24 June 2025 – 13.30-17.00 CEST – Norway House, Brussels
This year the PIN Conference will take place in Brussels on 24 June from 13.30-17.00.
ETSC will present the findings of the PIN Annual Report looking at progress in reducing road deaths and serious injuries across Europe.
We will also present the PIN Award to a country that has made outstanding progress in improving road safety.
https://mailchi.mp/etsc/pin_conference_2025_register?e=5f52eb2a51
