The EU Roadworthiness Test plan to Save Lives

The controversial “Roadworthiness Test” has a rocky start in the EU

Plans to introduce EU minimum standards for roadworthiness tests on motorcycles and trailers under 2,000 kg. According to EU press release, "these plans are part of the EU Roadworthiness Package, which would lay down minimum EU standards on testing frequency, a risk-based system for roadside inspections of commercial vehicles and rules for suspending or cancelling registration certificates. The package still has to be approved by Parliament as a whole”.

However, countries like Great Britain, among other European countries, with a trailer caravan tradition feel very uncomfortable with these proposals and will show strong opposition against some measures.

What is the new Roadworthiness Package?

The "Roadworthiness Package" is an ambitious plan for road safety and reduction of road fatalities by half in 2020. It started in 2011 and will have to be achieved by 2020 -with completion in 2050. Many aspects of this document, such as the M.O.T (Ministry of Transport Test in Britain - in other countries Roadworthiness Test), among others, have to do with the so called "Roadworthiness Package" part of it has been implemented in many countries a long time ago. In any case, since this proposal means quite a lot for transport, it has a long way to go; as it has been said, some of them are only projects which have to be accepted by EU Parliament.

Example of some new measures:

Cars and light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes which reach at the date of first inspection (after 4 years) a mileage of more than 160.000 km shall be inspected annually after the first test (4-1-1 instead of the existing 4-2-2)*

See the table below:

New vehicle testing and changes for private motorists

	current test periodicity*
Member States	Cars	Motorcycles Scooters	Changes for private motorists
Austria	3 - 2 - 1	1 - 1 - 1	no changes
Belgium	4 - 1 - 1	no tests	no changes for cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Bulgaria	3 - 2 - 1	no tests	no changes for cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Cyprus	4 - 2 - 2	no tests	older cars will be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Czech Republic	4 - 2 - 2	4 - 2 - 2	older cars will be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year
Denmark	4 - 2 - 2	4 - 2 - 2	older cars will be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year
Estonia	3 - 2 - 2 - 2- 1	3 - 2 - 2 - 2- 1	testing of cars, motorcycles and scooters will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of 10th year)
Finland	3 - 2 - 1	no tests	no changes for cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
France	4 - 2 - 2	no tests	older cars will be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Germany	3 - 2 - 2	2 - 2 - 2	older cars will be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year
Greece	4 - 2 - 2	no tests	older cars will be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Hungary	4 - 3 - 2 - 2	3 - 3 - 2 – 2°)	older cars will be tested every year; older motorcycles will be tested every year and testing for scooters will be introduced
Ireland	4 - 2 - 2	no tests	older cars will be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Italy	4 - 2 - 2	4 - 2 - 2	older cars will be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year
Latvia	1 - 1 - 1	1 - 1 – 1°)	no change for cars and motorcycles; testing for scooters will be introduced
Lithuania	3 - 2 - 2	1 - 1 - 1	older cars will be tested every year, no change for motorcycles and scooter
Luxemburg	3.5 - 1 - 1	3.5 - 1 - 1	no changes
Malta	1 - 1 - 1	no tests	no changes for cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Netherlands	4 - 2 - 2 - 1	no tests	testing of cars will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of 9th year); motorcycles and scooters will be tested
Poland	3 - 2 - 1	3 - 2 - 1°)	no changes for cars and motorcycles; testing for scooters will be introduced
Portugal	4 - 2 - 2 - 1	no tests	testing of cars will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of 9th year); motorcycles and scooters will be tested
Romania	2 - 2 - 2	no tests	older cars will be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced
Slovakia	3 -1 - 1	4 - 2 - 2	no changes for cars, older motorcycles and scooters will be tested every year
Slovenia	3 - 2 - 2	3 - 1 - 1	no changes
Spain	4 - 2 - 2 - 1	5 - 2 - 2	testing of cars will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of 9th year);older motorcycles and scooters will be tested every year
Sweden	3 - 2 - 1	4 - 2 - 2	no change for cars; older motorcycles and scooters will be tested every year
UK	3 - 1 - 1	3 - 1 - 1	no changes

Table source: Roadworthiness Test - EU

*) Periodicity 4-2-1 means first test after 4 years, next test after 2 years, afterward tests every year.