As it has been every 2 years since 2006, the Føreropplæringskonferansen conference was held in 2024. This year, it was held in Stjørdal (Norway) from 21st to 22nd November.

Each edition is attended by around 250-300 people, this year there were over 280 participants, mostly driving instructors.

The conference manager association is FFTP, a group of organizations that deals with road safety and how to improve the skills of driving teachers especially in the domain of pedagogy (more info at www.fftp.no )

The main stakeholders were the government, the driving school association and the university, all the main actors working together to achieve the goal of Vision 0: to achieve zero deaths on the roads by 2050.

This year’s topic focused on how the driving teacher’s skill is very important to achieve the goal of Vision 0.

During the 2 days several topics were covered, Mr. Per Ove Sercan Husevik, CEO Sunnhordland Trafikopplæring AS, Chairman of the Board NTSF Norwegian Traffic School Association and Boardmember of the NTU (the Nordic Union of Driving Schools Associations) describes the most significant topics on which the lectures were held: “We talked about the culture of young people when driving, traffic safety strategy, driving teacher’s competence, pedagogical challenges and solutions and how to work to achieve Vision 0. A special mention was dedicated to how we are working in Europe and colleague Stefan Ebner (Vice President EFA) spoke about the Austrian way, especially regarding the second phase of the driving license”.

The last important topic discussed during the conference was the re-approval of the driving teachers in Norway started in 2025.

The system provides that every driving teacher need to take 5 days of courses every 5 years to be allowed to practice.

Per Ove and Stefan Ebner

Stefan Ebner

Stefan Ebner

FitDrive – Online workshop

Standardization of drivers’ fatigue measurement

On November 13th ETSC organized a webinar to draw attention to the risks associated with fatigue while driving, addressed in the FITDrive Project.

The President of AIPSS, Mr. Carlo Polidori, opened the proceedings, describing the latest progress achieved by the FITDrive Project, as well as his ambition to create an international standard to measure fatigue.

Most of the systems currently used on vehicles to recognize the state of fatigue of a driver are not codified in a recognized international System, often they are based on limited research studies by car manufacturers.

The intervention of the Executive Director of ETSC, Mr. Antonio Avenoso, was highly appreciated, who presented the latest statistics on road accidents and the current difficulty in European countries to reach the ten-year objectives set by the European Commission to reduce road deaths by 50%.

The focus of Mr. Avenoso’s presentation was on heavy vehicle accidents and the consequences that these have on other road users, especially vulnerable users. The recent ETSC publication on heavy vehicles is a reference point for gathering information on the state of the art of professional mobility, with some important recommendations for companies and legislators.

Then there was the intervention of the EFA Secretary General, Mr. Manuel Picardi, who described the role of the European federation in the Project: collecting data on the training systems currently in place in at least 20 European countries; organizing part of the training sessions to test the devices for detecting fatigue while driving; creating specific training modules to be disseminated to transport companies during their training courses and imagining modules to be included in a new European training curriculum, based on the EFA Training Matrix for professional drivers.

The FITDrive Project will end in February 2025, with the final event at the European Parliament, where the results and final conclusions of the 3-year work will be presented

FITDrive Webinar

EFA meets MEPs of TRAN Commission and DG MOVE

On Monday 18th and Tuesday 19th November, an EFA delegation together with a group of Italian key players in the road safety sector went to the European Parliament to meet with some recently elected Italian MEPs, some members of the TRAN Commission and then a visit to DG MOVE.

EFA had the opportunity to introduce itself and make its activities and ambitions known, reiterating the main role of driving training carried out by European driving schools and the need to introduce mandatory driving courses more focused on risk awareness and responsibilities associated with road safety.

A special thanks was addressed to the MEPs who welcomed the delegation and showed great availability for dialogue: MEP Matteo Ricci (PD – S&D), MEP Flavio Tosi and MEP Massimiliano Salini (PPE), MEP Elena Donazzan, MEP Carlo Fidanza and MEP Pietro Fiocchi (ECR Group) and MEP Paolo Borchia (Patriots).

On Tuesday 19th the delegation went to see M.me Clair Depré, the head of unit at DG MOVE in the domain of road safety.

Among the topics discussed were the forecast of the next publication of the new Driving Licence Directive (in the absence of any delays, expected for the beginning of 2025) and the difficulties related to the diffusion of vehicles powered by alternative fuels to oil (electric and hydrogen).

Special thanks also go to ConfCommercio Mobilità which organised the meetings with the Institutions at the European Parliament.

M.me Clair Deprè

MEP Carlo Fidanza

MEP Elena Donazzan

MEP Flavio Tosi

MEP Massimiliano Salini

MEP Matteo Ricci

MEP Paolo Borchia

MEP Pietro Fiocchi

A neuroscientific approach for investigating mental fatigue

Biomarkers in simulated driving trials

A new EFA report in cooperation with ITCL, AIPSS and BrainSigns has been published after the RSS event in Kentucky. 

A non-adequate psychophysical condition represents a major cause of road accidents. In particular, almost the 20% of crashes are caused by mental fatigue, with dramatic consequences. Investigation of fatigue early signs becomes crucial to develop tools able to recognise in advance the onset of fatigue episodes. This is extremely relevant for professional drivers who drive for prolonged periods. 

Read the full document

ERSC Awards

On November 14th, the European Commission organized the award ceremony for the best European projects in the field of road safety. 5 topics were covered: urban areas, education, technology and innovation, motorcycling, Pedestrian and cyclists.

The Winner for the Urban section was the "project 30" of the Municipality of Bologna (recently presented at the EFA-ERSC event in Milan on October 25th) presented by City Councilor Valentina Orioli.

For the Education section, the “Learn” project by ETSC won.

For the Motorcycle section, the “Special road markings on bend” project by KFV won.

For the Pedestrian and Cyclists section, the “Alternative Mobility Strategy” project from Axencia Galega de Infrastruturas won.

For the Technology and innovation section, the “Traffic lights of the future” from Centre for Traffic Management Bavaria won.

ERASC the winners

Manuel Picardi – Khristin Smit – Valentina Orioli

Effective campaign strategies for road safety equipment

Effective marketing campaigns are vital in promoting safety equipment on the road. They can raise awareness, change attitudes, and ultimately encourage behavioural change among different types of road users. In this webinar, we will examine best practices in Europe and provide useful tips and tricks on how to develop these types of awareness campaigns.

Register at

https://road-safety-charter.ec.europa.eu/content/european-road-safety-charter-effective-campaign-strategies-road-safety-equipment

EU should set mandatory safety standards for e-scooters, including 20 km/h maximum speed

A new report published by the European Transport Safety Council calls for the development of mandatory technical requirements for all e-scooters sold in the European Union to replace the current patchwork of national requirements, and voluntary standards. The standards should include a speed limiter set at 20 km/h as well as stability, minimum braking and maximum acceleration requirements, according to ETSC.

The researchers recommend that national governments set a minimum age of 16 for e-scooter riders, a requirement for mandatory helmets, as well as a ban on riding after consuming alcohol or drugs or riding with passengers.

In national data from European countries, the researchers found 119 road deaths in 2022 in collisions involving ‘motorised micro-mobility devices’ – a category of personal light electric vehicle that is dominated by e-scooters but also includes rarer vehicles such as electric unicycles.  While this figure was an increase on previous years, that may be due simply to increased numbers of e-scooter riders.  The researchers are calling for more data on e-scooter usage to understand better the risk levels, which, according to some previous analyses, are higher than for cycling. 

Many crashes and injuries involving e-scooters only involve the rider, and no other road users.  In such cases, police may not be called to the scene, leading to the possibility that the collision is not reported in national data.  More needs to be done at national level to link hospital data to police records in order to gain a fuller picture of injury rates.

Reported e-scooter-related deaths often involve alcohol, with the limited data available showing that between half and two-thirds of those killed had consumed alcohol before riding.  Countermeasures against drink-riding should include legal limits with appropriate levels of enforcement.  In Finland and Norway, city authorities have required shared e-scooter providers to limit speed at night, or banned shared e-scooters altogether during night hours – measures which resulted in a reduction in injuries. 

30 km/h speed limits in urban areas are one of the main tools cities can use to reduce the risks for e-scooter users in urban areas. Drivers of cars, vans and lorries travelling at 30 km/h or less are much less likely to kill vulnerable road users such as e-scooter riders, pedestrians and cyclists. 

Some existing EU product regulations apply to e-scooters, for example rules covering machinery and batteries, however there is no mandatory single standard for e-scooters covering factors such as stability, maximum speed and braking performance.  In the absence of EU regulation, several EU member states including Germany and Spain, have developed their own national standards for the vehicles.  ETSC recommends that the EU develop a single set of mandatory technical requirements, including a mandatory top speed limit of 20 km/h, set at the factory.  11 European countries already require a 20 km/h maximum speed for e-scooters at national level. 

New standards should also require a minimum level of braking performance, a limit on maximum acceleration, front and rear brakes, an audible warning device (such as a bell), as well as front and rear lights, according to ETSC.

The EU has mandatory safety standards for new cars, vans and lorries which include the fitting of automated emergency braking systems that can help prevent crashes with pedestrians and cyclists. However, such systems are not currently required to recognise e-scooter riders. ETSC says the standard needs to be updated soon, as it takes years for new safety technologies to reach the majority of all vehicles on the road. 

Download the report at: www.etsc.eu/pinflash47 

Invitation to Participate in the EU Road Safety Framework Assessment

The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport (DG MOVE) has contracted an independent consortium led by Ramboll Management Consulting SA/NV, in collaboration with Transport Mobility Leuven and ISINNOVA, to conduct a study supporting the assessment of the EU’s road safety framework 2021-2030 at its mid-point.  

In this context, we are pleased to invite you to participate in a survey designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the EU road safety framework. Your expertise and insights are essential to understand how current policies contribute to the EU's goal of safer roads and to identify areas where the framework could be strengthened. 

The survey aims to gather feedback on different aspects of the framework, including national and EU-level initiatives, emerging trends, and cross-sector cooperation. Your responses will directly contribute to a comprehensive study evaluating the progress of the framework towards its objectives. 

The survey will take approximately 30 minutes to complete, and your participation will be extremely valuable in shaping the direction of future road safety initiatives. All data will remain confidential as conclusions will be presented at an aggregated level and these will be used solely for the purposes of this study. 

To participate to the survey, please use the link below:

https://surveys.ramboll.com/LinkCollector?key=MTML35AMLJ95

Special thanks go to Mr. John Lepine, who had previously communicated that he did not want to continue with the role of Treasurer.

The Swedish M.me Jeanette Jedbäck Hindenburg was appointed Treasurer new Treasurer for the next 3 years.President Lorca comments: “I thank everyone for confirming their trust in us for the next 3 years. This means that we have worked well, but it serves as an incentive for us to work even better. Thanks also to John who has supported us in these years. We are happy with the arrival of Jeanette in our Board. In addition to her personal qualities, in this way EFA has an even better distributed territorial representation towards the European institutions”.

EFA Event in Milan – ERSC

On October 25th, the second EFA meeting for 2024 was held at the Chamber of Commerce of Milan. This year, the event was organized in synergy with the annual event of the European Road Safety Charter (ERSC), organized by the European Commission, for which UNASCA is the national relay.

During the morning, MEPs Carlo Fidanza and Massimiliano Salini intervened via video message, and later on for DG MOVE, M.me Claire Depré. Both expressed gratitude for the joint organization of the event and at the same time regretted not being able to physically participate due to other previous commitments. MEP Fidanza invited EFA Members to organize the final event of the FITDrive project at the European Parliament, in February 2025. Further news will be given shortly.

During the morning, there were many interventions by ERSC members: the Municipality of Bologna, SINA, PISSTA, TOTEM, UNASCAbile, IRC and the Italian Minister of Transport. There was a lot of satisfaction among the participants.

In the afternoon, the usual internal meeting took place, where the new EFA Associate Members had the opportunity to introduce themselves, to describe their area of ​​expertise: the association of Polish driving schools, the Italian SIDA, the French Smartphone ID and the Polish Patron. More information can be found on the EFA website.

Welcome to the new EFA members! New applications for Associate Members were also accepted. The next appointment will be in Prague on 15th and 16th April, for a joint event between the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic and the EFA event, in which there will be the opportunity for driving instructors to carry out exercises on the race track, both with motorbikes and cars.

More information will follow in the next newsletters.

MEP Carlo Fidanza

ANIECA Event

The XVIII ANIECA Congress was held in Tavira on October 19th.

This year too, the event was well attended by Portuguese driving schools. Since every year important innovations are presented that influence European choices, this year the event was characterized by an increasingly large international presence. Many international guests: Jen Petter Wigum (Nord University), Raul Viladrich (FAC), Kay Schulte (ETG CIECA), Manuel Picardi (EFA), Jasper Tammeling (TAG CIECA), Javier Galindo (EAG CIECA).

The participation of the IMT, the Portuguese Ministry of Transport, was also strong. Under the title “Mission zero deaths on the roads”, a series of panels followed one another to highlight the important results achieved in recent years in terms of reducing road accidents.

ANIECA President Antonio Reis specified: “We have worked hard in recent months to obtain acceptable results, in a medium-term perspective to reach the objectives set by the European Union (50% reduction in deaths by 2030). We are aware that there is still a lot to do to improve. But we are convinced that we are on the right path.

Our synergy with national institutions is essential to achieving the objectives set. We are very proud of this, also because we know that in Europe our colleagues are unable to collaborate at this level with their respective national authorities.

Perhaps we understood before others the value of teamwork, that only together can we work well to obtain good results. We are proud that Portugal is taken as an example of efficiency and cooperation between the public and private sectors by many European colleagues”.

Susana Paolino

Antonio Reis

GRSP and EFA monitoring of motorbike schools in Nairobi

From 8th to 9th October an EFA delegation attended the international seminar organized by the Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) for the International Red Cross and the International Red Crescent in Nairobi, Kenya. The Secretary General of EFA, Manuel Picardi, was involved to talk about the standards of the new training models for Driving Instructors for motorcycles.

In recent years there have been increasing requests for EFA involvement in providing initial and periodic courses for driving instructors for cars and motorcycles. EFA thanks the organizers and a special thanks goes to Mrs. Britta Lang who elegantly led the panel dedicated to training. On October 6th and 7^th an EFA delegation visited several local driving schools to better understand how the motorcycle driving license system works.

Thanks to the important support of the Kenyan Boda-Boda Association, the EFA delegation was able to visit four driving schools and learn more about the system and its shortcomings. The head of the EFA Working Group on Two-Wheel Vehicle Training, Czech Jiri Novotny, commented: “We saw many young people interested in the lessons and well-prepared teachers. The main problem remains that only theoretical training is provided, which includes a final exam. The practical exam is quite trivial, and takes place in a closed yard.

Given the level of vehicles and roads, it would be appropriate to integrate the practical training of drivers.” His Portuguese colleague from EFA, Antonio Pais Neto, also comments: “All motorcyclist training must be increased in Kenya. But above all, the training of trainers must be professionalized. Driving instructors in Kenya do not take a professional training course. It is necessary that they also take an initial and periodic training course to be able to increase their skills and subsequently align themselves with the examiners. The EFA training model that partly combines the curricula, would be perfect for the Kenyan reality. EFA will be more than happy to be able to contribute to this important objective”.

Jiri Novotny

Manuel Picardi

Antonio Pais Neto

EFA represents FitDrive project in Kentucky

The Road Safety and Simulation Conference was established in Rome in 2007 as a biennial platform for researchers and practitioners from different backgrounds and research expertise to share individual experiences and cutting-edge research in the field of road safety and simulation.

The main objective of the conference is to improve existing knowledge in the field of road safety and to contribute to reducing the number of fatalities and injuries occurring worldwide, through the dissemination of innovative research and applications.

The RSS conference is hosted every two years by a local organization, such as a research institute, a scientific organization, a university or a national agency. They are identified by the permanent steering committee among the candidates submitting an application for the “Call for hosting the entering RSS meeting”.

Researchers from all over the world presented the latest innovations in the field of simulation and had the opportunity to exchange ideas with numerous colleagues.

The paper of the FITDrive project was selected and EFA had the honour of presenting the progress of the work and the first results. The methodology and research tools used in the project attracted considerable interest among the participants and numerous questions were posed to the European representatives.

Manuel Picardi

Prof. Giuseppe Marinelli

EFA and EUMOS are ready to start their partnership 

It is with great pleasure that EFA participates in the meeting of the European Safe Logistics Association (EUMOS).

With the motto: “Training, Training and Training” the session opened, which aimed to point out the lack of specific legislation that provides for quality professional training in the sector of loading on heavy vehicles. EFA participated through the intervention of the Secretary General Mr. Manuel Picardi, who presented a draft of the specific Training Matrix for professional licenses that EFA is preparing, also through the analysis of the latest data from the FITDrive project.

EUMOS wants to use the network of EFA driving schools to organize a series of specific courses on safe loading of vehicles. These courses, after a specific exam, will be certified by EUMOS.

Mr. Angel David Hernández, the President of EUMOS, showed great interest in EFA activities and stated: “I believe that there are many synergies between our two associations. For us one of the key words in the coming years will be Training. We need your support to be able to offer quality courses to transport company employees, throughout Europe”. Mr. Picardi commented: “For us it is an honor to have participated in your event today, and we believe this is only the first of a series of steps that we will take together. We will soon sign a Memorandum to consolidate our partnership. From there the work for the logistical organization of the courses will start”.

New UN regulation for driving assistance systems

A new United Nations Regulation on Driver Control Assistance Systems (DCAS), adopted by the UNECE World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) at its session in March 2024, has entered into force. 

Regulation No. 171 defines DCAS as systems which assist the driver in controlling the longitudinal and lateral motion of the vehicle on a sustained basis, while not taking over the entire driving task. Read more and download the report

Latest road safety research reports

New reports on road safety in the EU are now available from the European Road Safety Observatory (ERSO), covering the latest data, trends, and analysis on several groups of vulnerable road users. These research publications are part of a series of 20 thematic reports that provide qualitative analysis and topic overviews to assist policymakers in decision-making. The latest reports examine the trends and factors affecting road safety for vulnerable users, particularly children, cyclists, pedestrians, and users of powered two-wheelers (mopeds and motorcycles).

This event had the following main objectives:

– Highlight that the self-reporting system in force is contributing to an increase in motorcyclist accidents and that, therefore, it should be reviewed;

– Defend the importance of mandatory training in driving schools to reduce accident rates involving motorcycles;

– Remember that driving schools made a large investment in replacing instruction motorcycles and have instructors specialized in training motorcyclists;

– Demonstrate that it does not make sense for candidates to continue learning alone on public roads, putting their lives and those around them at risk;

– Present suggestions for new topics to be covered in motorcyclist training;

The event also included a practical component, where participants were invited to try a set of exercises with motorcycles, which we believe could contribute to improving the level of preparation of new motorcyclists.

Manuel Picardi, Secretary General of the European Federation of Driving Instructors (EFA), expressed his satisfaction: “We are very pleased to have finally launched these courses. Despite some technical delays, we are moving in the right direction. We hope to set an example for driving instructors across Europe. The European institutions recognize the importance of this training in the process of obtaining a driving license, and they are considering the possibility of introducing a CPR training module. Driving instructors should be the ones authorized to provide this essential training.”

Federico Semeraro, Chair Elect of the European Resuscitation Council, shared his enthusiasm for this pivotal initiative in Italy, stating, “I am very happy about this first step to implement a European vision.”