The EU aims to facilitate the flow of goods and people between EU countries. EU road infrastructure is one of the main pillars to achieve this goal while, at the same time, playing a key role in ensuring road safety.
The EU has a role in the safety management of the 85 000km of road infrastructure that make up the European transport network (TEN-T).
To reduce road fatalities and serious injuries, the EU is making sure that roads, tunnels and bridges on those networks are designed and operated in the safest way possible. This is particularly important in view of the growing demand for mobility and the radical transformation it is facing due to digitisation, decarbonisation and innovation.
With this in mind, Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management was substantially revised in 2019 to set out a more systematic approach to safer road infrastructure.
The revised Directive 2008/96/EC, as amended by Directive (EU) 2019/1936 and applicable as of December 2021, extends the scope of the current rules to motorways and other primary roads beyond the TEN-T, as well as EU-funded roads outside urban areas. The Directive requires the establishment and implementation of procedures relating to road safety impact assessments, road safety audits, road safety inspections and network-wide assessments by Member States starting from 2024 in order to ensure adequate safety levels. Important to highlight that the needs of the vulnerable road users need to be taken into account in all the Directive procedures. These measures will help to make the road infrastructure significantly safer across the EU.
Legislation
- Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management (as currently applicable until latest 17 Dec 2021)
- Directive (EU) 2019/1936 amending Directive 2008/96/EC on road infrastructure safety management (under transposition)
- Consolidated form of Directive 2008/96/EC as amended by Directive (EU) 2019/1936 on road infrastructure safety management (under transposition)
- Reporting obligations by the Commission
- Art 8(3) – Guidelines to Member States
- Contributions by MS
- Proceedings of the Infrastructure Committee established under Art 13
- Related legislation