Press Release: Mandatory seat belts for commercial vehicles: Commission welcomes Parliament decision

The European Commission welcomed the major step taken by the European Parliament on 26 May 2005 towards substantially improving road safety in the European Union. By adopting three Directives on the mandatory fitting of seat belts, the Parliament made a major contribution to the goal of halving the number of road accident victims by 2010. The requirement to fit seat belts in commercial vehicles should now apply six months after the Directive enters into force, i.e. in the last quarter of 2005. Initially applied to all new vehicle types, it would then be extended to new vehicles of types already in production. This measure, applying to all commercial vehicles and in particular tourist coaches and minibuses would have, in conjunction with the obligation to wear seat belts, a major effect on the dramatic figures seen in Europe in recent years.