Compulsory blind spot mirrors proposed for European trucks

The European Commission today proposed obligatory blind spot mirrors for lorries in an effort to improve road safety.

Under the Brussels proposal, which must be approved by EU member states before taking effect, all vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes must be equipped with the mirrors.

About 400 lives are lost every year because lorry drivers fail to see oncoming motorcyclists and cyclists, the Commission estimates.

The blind spot mirrors will enable drivers to cover the dead angle.

The new rules will only be applicable to trucks registered in the EU, but the bloc’s transport commissioner Jacques Barrot said he will try to obtain guarantees from neighbouring countries of similar measures.

In another effort to halve the number of road fatalities by 2010, the commission also adopted upgrades to its safety standards for EU highways.