Mandate pedestrian/cyclist detection and avoidance systems for all new vehicles in the EU
The Issue
A third of all traffic fatalities are suffered by pedestrians and cyclists. They paid a very high price for the decision of each driver to use a vehicle on the day of the incident.
Consequently we avoid the road and would rather drive our kids and ourselves everywhere than expose ourselves to traffic risk (ironically increasing overall traffic risk). We are forced to purchase vehicles that we use less than 4% of their lifetime, as that is the only way we can protect ourselves from other drivers.
We have proven that we, as human beings cannot avoid all incidents and reduce our vehicles' impact. However there is already technology available that could do just that!
Automated cars might be the future, but most of the technology that these cars might use one day is already available today at an affordable price. Such technology is already being used by BMW and costs under €800 per vehicle for the general public.
The European Commission produced a document following strong lobbying from stakeholders (i.e. car manufacturers) suggesting that the cost was too high to justify the benefit of such technology (at €2,300).
This echoes arguments against airbag legislation in the 1980's: the cost of which dropped more than 100 fold once manufacturers started developing them in the 1990's and have saved millions of lives ever since. The same pattern is likely to apply to pedestrian avoidance systems resulting not only in the massive "economic benefit" of saving lives but also in a moral high ground for conscious drivers who take full responsibility for the impact of their vehicles.
The legislation would also allow vehicle buyers to pay a lower marginal price as wider implementation will result in more competition, not to mention the reduced insurance premiums.
Please sign the petition to show your support if you:
- walk, cycle or simply live in the EU and care for you and your loved ones' health;
- want to reduce the risk of hitting someone while driving;
- live outside the EU but realise that a third of global car manufacturing comes from the EU and therefore will have a global spill-over effect.
Petition Closed
The Issue
A third of all traffic fatalities are suffered by pedestrians and cyclists. They paid a very high price for the decision of each driver to use a vehicle on the day of the incident.
Consequently we avoid the road and would rather drive our kids and ourselves everywhere than expose ourselves to traffic risk (ironically increasing overall traffic risk). We are forced to purchase vehicles that we use less than 4% of their lifetime, as that is the only way we can protect ourselves from other drivers.
We have proven that we, as human beings cannot avoid all incidents and reduce our vehicles' impact. However there is already technology available that could do just that!
Automated cars might be the future, but most of the technology that these cars might use one day is already available today at an affordable price. Such technology is already being used by BMW and costs under €800 per vehicle for the general public.
The European Commission produced a document following strong lobbying from stakeholders (i.e. car manufacturers) suggesting that the cost was too high to justify the benefit of such technology (at €2,300).
This echoes arguments against airbag legislation in the 1980's: the cost of which dropped more than 100 fold once manufacturers started developing them in the 1990's and have saved millions of lives ever since. The same pattern is likely to apply to pedestrian avoidance systems resulting not only in the massive "economic benefit" of saving lives but also in a moral high ground for conscious drivers who take full responsibility for the impact of their vehicles.
The legislation would also allow vehicle buyers to pay a lower marginal price as wider implementation will result in more competition, not to mention the reduced insurance premiums.
Please sign the petition to show your support if you:
- walk, cycle or simply live in the EU and care for you and your loved ones' health;
- want to reduce the risk of hitting someone while driving;
- live outside the EU but realise that a third of global car manufacturing comes from the EU and therefore will have a global spill-over effect.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 12 April 2015