Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-22-Speech-2-316"

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"en.20050222.16.2-316"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I congratulate the rapporteur, Mr Grosch, on the report he has produced. The driving licence directive is very complex and intricate. Overall, I think that it is a great step forwards in terms of freedom of movement, of reducing the possibility of fraud and of attempting to improve road safety. More than 40 000 people die on Europe’s roads every year, a worrying statistic which requires serious and urgent attention. One of the most vulnerable categories of victim is motorcyclists. Italy has one third of all the two-wheeled vehicles in the whole of Europe, and 60% of the scooters. That is why I followed the debate on age limits with concern, but fortunately it resulted in the acceptance of a certain amount of flexibility. In Italy, for instance, youngsters can ride mopeds from the age of 14, and several studies have shown that that is not the age group at greatest risk. In our country, especially in the major cities, scooters and mopeds are extremely popular forms of transport and are valid alternatives to cars. The way to improve road safety is certainly not to take them out of circulation but to teach people how to ride safely, by introducing training and preparation courses in schools. In general, the step-up approach is worthwhile, but the report introduces excessive regulation which does not improve the Commission’s proposal and does not lead any closer to the goal of harmonisation. What sense is there in granting a motorcycle licence at the age of 24 and allowing for the possibility of a car licence at just 17? Lastly, introducing tests for access to every category does not allow users and much less the authorities to manage and monitor the system, and there is not the slightest guarantee that safety will be improved. The issue needs to be addressed boldly, without penalising motorcyclists more than drivers of other categories just to ease our consciences. I call on all my fellow Members to think carefully about these two points, so as to raise safety standards and achieve the goal of harmonisation by introducing sensible, feasible and manageable rules."@en1

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