EFA was invited by DG MOVE on the CPC Expert Group Meeting
EFA Board Members were invited to take part actively as Observers to the informal Commission of Expert Group on the Qualification and Training of Drivers of certain road vehicles.
The members of the EFA Board who were able to intervene and represent the interests of the driving school category were very satisfied. Many topics were discussed, from the issue of the convertibility of Ukrainian and British driving licences, to the lowering of the age required for accompanied driving, foreseen in the next driving licence directive. The main problem remains the lack of professional drivers in Europe. Therefore, some participants presented the possibility of converting professional driving licences from non-European countries, where the curriculum for obtaining a driving licence is similar to European countries. Keep following us, in the coming months there will be important news in this domain.
The EFA Board
The EFA Board with Fajčík Marek and Barbora Zahalkova
CPC Event
EFA at the EP for the last FitDrive Event
A wake-up call from FitDrive Project who presented their results and findings at their final event in the European Parliament last week!
The project received EU research funding to develop a better way for detecting the onset of mental and physical fatigue in professional drivers. Driver fatigue is a contributing factor in 15% to 20% of serious road crashes, according to the European Road Safety Observatory. While existing technology in the field can send alerts when people stray from a lane or drive erratically, unlike FITDRIVE, it is mostly onboard software that isn’t customised for each driver. The project’s AI-based algorithms understand each driver’s patterns and identify cases where the person is fatigued or unfit to drive
FitDrive also provides a proof of concept and methodology that is transparent. Several car manufacturers offer this feature but without any transparency on how it works or whether it has been validated.
Overall, these important insights and results can play an important role in shaping future policies to help achieve the Vision Zero goal – zero road fatalities by 2050.
Many thanks to the MEP Carlo Fidanza (ECR) who hosted the FitDrive Members in the EP.
Read more: EFA NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY
Some FitDrive event’s participants
Marteyn Van Gasteren – Manuel Picardi – MEP Carlo Fidanza
New EFA Scientific Article on Driver Training and CPR was published
ERC and EFA share findings from a recent European survey assessing whether the Basic Life Support (BLS) course is mandatory for obtaining a category B driving license as part of driving school curricula, two years after our first survey.1 This study expands on efforts by the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and the European Driving Schools Association (EFA) under the “Learn to Drive. Learn CPR” initiative, which created a song and video to promote the campaign. These materials were shared widely on platforms like YouTube and social media. Download the study here
EFA at EU Parliament with Italian MEPs
On February 19th EFA returns to the European Parliament!
The success story of Bologna and more generally the Città 30 model were presented in Brussels.
The project was presented in Milan during the works of the EFA ERSC (European Road Safety Charter) event in October 2024.
A great opportunity for discussion promoted by MEP Annalisa Corrado, with the Mayor Matteo Lepore, the Head of Road Safety Unit in DG MOVE of the European Commission Claire Depré, the Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) Antonio Avenoso.
MEPs Matteo Ricci and Pierfrancesco Maran MEP Maran also spoke.
Bologna could host the next ERSC event in 2025, also to inspire other cities to import the same successful model for the great reduction of road accident victims.
There will be important updates soon…
Some EP Event’s participants
4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety – Declaration & Recommendations, Marrakech
EFA participated to the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakech (Morocco). One of the latest EFA video (on distraction) was projected during the second day of work!
The World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Morocco, successfully organized the Fourth Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Marrakesh, from 18th to 20th February. Themed “Committed to Life,” this Conference brought together leaders and experts to assess progress made in implementing the Global Plan 2021-2030 during its initial five-year period and to generate support for the new vision of safe and sustainable mobility. Read the Marrakech Declaration
Enrique Lorca with the Spanish Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gomez
FAME 3rd Stakeholder Workshop – Focus on projects and international collaboration
The Road Safety Annual Report 2024 provides an overview of road safety performance for the 40 countries participating in the International Transport Forum’s permanent Working Group on road safety, known as the IRTAD Group. Based on the latest data, the report describes recent road safety developments in these countries and compares their performance against the main road safety indicators. Download the report
The FAME project (Framework for coordination of Automated Mobility in Europe) strives to enhance collaboration and data sharing within the Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) stakeholder community in Europe.
The mission of FAME is to establish a European framework for testing on public road, enable evaluations with common methodology, engage an active community of stakeholders across the complex cross-sectorial value chain, and capitalize on shared knowledge, to improve cooperation, consensus building and data sharing for CCAM testing and large-scale demonstration activities in Europe. Read more about and register here
https://www.connectedautomateddriving.eu/blog/event/fame-stakeholder-workshop
Five tips for an effective awareness campaign
Follow these easy tips and tricks to ensure you know your audience, how to access them and what stories to tell.
EUCAD 2025: 5th European Conference on Connected and Automated Driving, 13-15 May 2025, Ispra – Registration open!
The European Commission, in collaboration with the European Partnership on Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) and FAME, is set to host the Fifth European Conference on Connected and Automated Driving (EUCAD 2025), which will take place at the Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy, from 13 to 15 May 2025.
The EUCAD Conference is a biennial event that brings together stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. Participants include representatives from European institutions, cities, automotive and telecom industries, road operators, users, public transport providers, regulators, insurance companies, research centres, and universities. Thought leaders share their insights on the challenges and opportunities surrounding the development and deployment of CCAM solutions. The conference features contributions from international speakers, offering global perspectives.
Please register at
https://www.connectedautomateddriving.eu/eucad/eucad2025
