Greece lags in new EU road rules
The European Commission said yesterday that Greece will face legal action in the EU high court if it does not introduce technology in the next two months to help make the country’s roads safer. On May 1, Greece and the rest of the EU member states were required to fit trucks and buses with digital tachographs, which monitor how long drivers have been on the road. «Every state member is responsible to fulfill European targets regarding the improvement of road safety and the enforcement of time limits on drivers and rest periods,» said EU Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, also referring to Cyprus, which has not applied the measure either. «Digital tachograph [systems] will contribute significantly to the achievement of this goal.» Greece’s roads are among the EU’s most dangerous. In 2005, 1,614 people were killed on Greek roads. By requiring technology such as the digital tachograph, the European Commission aims to slash the death toll by about half in 2010.
