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Mobility & Transport - Road Safety

Cross-border exchange

Revision of Directive on cross-border exchange of information on road safety related traffic offences

Type of initiative: Legislative/Revision of Directive (EU) 2015/413 (the CBE Directive)

Background of the initiative

The CBE Directive aims to protect road users by helping authorities in different EU countries share information on traffic offences related to road safety (speeding, failing to use a seat belt, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving while under the influence of drugs, failing to wear a safety helmet, the use of a forbidden lane, and illegally using a mobile telephone or any other communication devices while driving). This makes it easier to impose sanctions and penalties for offences committed by vehicles registered in an EU country other than the one in which the offence took place.

The Directive ensures that drivers who commit road traffic offences abroad no longer remain anonymous. However, drivers are still able to act with impunity: around half of foreign offenders escape punishment due to offences not being investigated properly and cumbersome procedures for mutual recognition of court decisions on financial penalties between EU countries.

Moreover, the Commission has received numerous complaints from the public about fundamental rights, especially to do with appeals against road traffic offences allegedly committed abroad, including:

  • different deadlines for non-residents and residents on the submission of penalty notices by EU countries
  • missing or unclear information on the appeals procedure in the penalty notice
  • missing evidence
  • untranslated prosecution documents
  • unclear information on how to settle road traffic penalties.

Political background

In June 2017, the Transport Council adopted conclusions on road safety endorsing the Valletta Declaration. The Commission was asked to e.g. strengthen the EU’s road safety legal framework to lower the number of road deaths, which have seen little improvement over the last 3 years.

Aside from the obvious suffering, the high numbers of deaths and serious injuries in road crashes (25,300 deaths and 135,000 people seriously injured in 2017) causes unacceptable economic costs (an estimated €50bn a year for fatal accidents alone; over €100bn including serious accidents).

Timing of the initiative: Q1 2019 – Q3 2021 (indicative)

Main documents

  1. Feedback from the publication of the Inception Impact Assessment/Roadmap
  2. Open public consultation:
  3. Targeted consultation:
    • Interviews and surveys: Indicative timing: Q2 2020 (Targeted stakeholders and questionnaires to be uploaded)
    • Stakeholder workshop: Indicative timing: Q3 2020 (Targeted stakeholders/participants, questionnaires, programme, background documents and minutes to be uploaded)
  4. Synopsis report (to be uploaded)
  5. Feedback from the publication of the Commission proposal (to be uploaded)
  6. Background documents:

Contacts

For more information or additional questions, please contact: rudolf [dot] koronthalyatec [dot] europa [dot] eu (rudolf[dot]koronthaly[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)