EuroTest - Defending consumers’ mobility in Europe

Publication date: 15 July 2008

PRESS RELEASE

Brussels, 15th July 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EuroTest, a pan European consumer testing programme and consortium of FIA clubs in Europe has been putting the quality and safety of Europe’s mobility infrastructure to the test since 2000. More recently assessments have also looked at drivers’ knowledge and perceptions. The programme when initially launched as “Concept 2000” the programme comprised nine clubs from eight countries. Today the EuroTest platform consists of 18 clubs from 17 countries, a dedicated website (www.eurotestmobility.com) with international coordination provided by FIA European Bureau in Brussels, who represent the interests of some 34 million European mobile consumers.

“Defending the mobile consumer through raising public awareness” is the core objective of EuroTest. This programme underlines the priority that FIA clubs place on safety and quality, features all mobile consumers deserve. Information is another key element. All assessments provide not only information about the current state of the mobility feature test but also tips and advice are produced for consumers so that they can safeguard their own safety. Moreover recommendations are issues to operators and responsible authorities of what is needed to rectify identified shortcomings. Apart from stimulating public debate about required enhancements EuroTest will also call for regulation and contribute to making new laws if needed.

The various tests which are project led by different partner clubs (e.g. the AA, UK RACC, Catalonia, ACI, Italy, TCS, Switzerland) but in the main by ADAC of Germany follow a common approach: a Europe wide assessment of the infrastructure feature in question followed by simultaneous and widespread publication of the test results – good and bad - by all partners in national and European media with calls for glaring shortcomings to be fixed immediately. It is a formula that European and national authorities have responded to positively in most instances.

A wide range of aspects of Europe’s mobility infrastructure have been examined over the years: from ro ro passenger ferries and motorway service areas to road works and international road traffic signs to car hire and pedestrian crossings. Test methodologies draw on the best available experience and regulation. All surveys use a common EuroTest rating scheme and efforts are made to repeat the tests periodically to check for enhancements.

EuroTest as a platform consisting of FIA clubs only has established a unique position in defending mobile consumers who are club members and European citizens. The tests have “made the difference” in terms of assuring improvements from public authorities but also by stimulating competition among operators in wanting to provide consumers with higher levels of quality and safety than their competitors.

EuroTests that have made the difference:

Ro Ro Passenger Ferries
The sinking of the Estonia in 1994 led to the development of the first EuroTest assessment of ro ro passenger ferries in order to guarantee better safety standards for the millions who annually travel on such vessels especially to holiday destinations. EuroTest assessments since 1996 of ro-ro passenger ferries operating in European waters have helped to raise standards and modify European legislation (directives 98/18/EC and 99/35/EC which drew directly on the ferry test findings) governing maritime safety procedures. Lifejackets locked away to prevent theft, poor passenger safety information and blocked emergency exits are a thing of the past.

With the new International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) code, more recent test examine the impact of tighter security on board ferries and in the ports.

Motorway Service Areas (MSAs)
Taking breaks on long journeys by car is essential for road safety. Motor way service areas have a duty of care to provide mobile consumers with good services thus ensuring that they return to the road refreshed and alert. This is not always the case, especially in the peak holiday seasons.

This test has highlighted for consumers the difference in quality of services available on Europe’s highways. Only informed mobile consumers can choose not to stop at a poorly run MSA where hygiene, catering or road safety considerations are not optimal.

In every test conducted so far about 30% of MSAs were not up to par. Moreover, UK citizens were shown to have suffered the poorest quality of all MSA’s in Europe. As a result, the AA Trust (a EuroTest partner) was consulted by government on both practical and legislative measures needed to rectify the situation. In Belgium, the government stepped in to organize an annual national quality MSA test as a result of Touring’s EuroTest campaigning.

Car Hire
Thanks to low cost flights many more of us fly to our holiday destinations than ever before. However, once on location hiring a car for a day or two becomes an attractive option to see more of the territory. Hiring from local firms can have its pitfalls. The last EuroTest found a vehicle 200,000 km on the clock, rental agreements with nasty surprises for the unsuspecting consumer such as a 1000 euro excess to pay in the event of damage to a nine year old car and brazen credit card charges for vehicle damage not caused by the customer. This test of the technical quality of vehicles for hire and the hire contracts will be published again in 2009.

International Road Traffic Signs
Sign posting, particularly in unfamiliar areas is very important for roads users to warn them of dangers, to provide directions to destinations, indicate speed limits and notify them of prohibitions in order to ensure a safe and smooth flow of traffic. Not all signs are understandable all of the time as verified by motorists surveyed across Europe. Indeed some of them are stupid!!  So compelling were the findings of this test that the European Parliament called on the European Commission to do something about the problem. A new survey will look at current situation identifying further complications for motorists crossing Europe added by new traffic restrictions and charging schemes.

Road Works
All drivers encounter road works at some point. They tend to be more in evidence in the summer just when everyone is leaving on holiday. While the objective is generally to improve the quality of the roads, severe accidents on motorway work zones occur very frequently. Indeed EuroTest revealed that the presence of a work zone can increase the risk of an accident can increase by 400%. Apart from informing motorists EuroTest has been lobbying the European Union to promote safer traffic management within the development of the road infrastructure safety management directive due to be finally adopted soon.

Do motorists know their cars?
Testing Europe’s mobility infrastructure is just one component to achieving better safety. Human behaviour plays its part too. Having passed the driving test and obtained a driving licence, maintaining a safe car and driving safely are left to the motorist. EuroTest has conducted a couple of spot check assessments of motorists themselves to determine just how well equipped they are to drive. Apart from looking at their practical skills and knowledge of driving rules a second phase of this test also looked at drivers’ knowledge of in car eSafety features and future technologies that help to make them safer drivers. A clear message from this test is that motorists Europe wide are not as informed at they could be about in-car safety features. This year a mystery shopper test carried out by ADAC for the FIA Foundation was published by EuroTest underlining that a key reason for motorists’ ignorance of eSafety features such as electronic stability control “ESC” is that such products are not promoted at the point of sale of new cars. 

Protecting Pedestrians
All motorists are pedestrians at some point in their journey. As seen in the January 2008 Pedestrian Crossings EuroTest pedestrians’ rights in the road environment across Europe differ significantly and indeed the regulations and infrastructure for pedestrians differ from country to country some being safer than others. The last thing a tourist thinks about when on holiday is how to cross the road.  The pedestrian crossings EuroTest is being developed over three years with the objective of contributing to a reduction in pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries.

EuroTest is consumer protection by FIA clubs at its best. It brings together partners from old, new and future European Member states to call for better conditions for mobile consumers. At the same times its assessments demonstrate that these objectives are achievable by identifying the benchmarks set by the best and highlighting the failings of the worst. Two major programmes have grown out of EuroTest: EuroRAP (the European Road Assessment programme) and EuroTAP (the European Tunnel Assessment Programme). Expansion of the EuroTest concept into a global programme is also under reflection within the FIA mobility plan and the first international test for implementation worldwide is currently in development.

Eurotest and FIA clubs will continue to play an important role in monitoring Europe’s mobility infrastructure to the benefit of consumers, legislators and operators alike. All should share in the common goal of promoting free movement of European citizens safely and with quality.