2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
The Verkehrsgerichttag wants to take navigation devices with an entertainment function out of circulation. Kay Nehm also reopened the debate about the introduction of a speed limit in Goslar.
The Traffic Court Day has called for a Europe-wide ban on navigation devices with additional entertainment functions. The high-tech equipment with its diverse visual stimuli overwhelmed drivers and led to distraction and accidents. The devices should not be approved if they enable the driver to perform such functions while driving, according to the recommendation of the experts that was adopted in Goslar on Friday. During the congress, the President of the Academy of Transport Science, Kay Nehm, had also sparked a new debate about a general speed limit on motorways.
Great risk of distraction
The demand for a general ban on using GPS while driving, which the German Lawyers Association (DAV) had raised, was not followed by the 46th Traffic Court Day. However, the committee called for a ban on mobile navigation systems that cannot be securely attached.
In addition, devices that have a warning function for traffic surveillance should not be approved. Automobile clubs in Goslar had warned against multifunctional navigation systems because they represented an even greater risk to safety than cell phones because of the danger of distraction.
Nehm calls for open discussion
The former Federal Prosecutor General Kay Nehm had reopened the debate about a speed limit on motorways in Goslar. The opponents of the speed limits should face an open discussion. The mood within the population is beginning to shake in the face of rising gasoline prices. Automobile clubs such as ADAC, ACE and AvD spoke out again against a nationwide speed limit.
The Road Traffic Court has rejected the general liability of the owner, also planned by the EU, for violations by other drivers with his car abroad. However, an effective procedure should be created for the exchange of owner data and for administrative assistance in determining driver data. The holders would have to receive a charge, foreign decision and legal remedies in German. In addition, effective legal protection must be granted. The EU had presented a framework decision on the mutual recognition of fines to improve road safety.
Rapid elimination of accident black spots
Accident black spots on German roads should be eliminated more quickly in future, according to the recommendation of the Traffic Court Day. The experts appealed to the federal, state and local governments to make more money available for this. The nationwide around 500 accident commissions, in which the police, road construction and road traffic authorities work together to identify accident black spots, are also to be given greater status and included in the road traffic regulations (StVO). According to experts, the work of the commissions helps to prevent accident costs of several billion euros annually.
The Verkehrsgerichtstag called for a binding catalog of criteria for assessing psychological damage after a traffic accident. Cases of simulation and exaggeration could only be ruled out through standardized investigation procedures. An early and professionally qualified diagnosis is crucial for rapid damage settlement and successful therapy.
Fleet manager for large companies
The panel of experts also called for entrepreneurs with a large vehicle fleet to be able to transfer the owner's obligation to a manager in the future. The so-called fleet manager is then responsible for the condition of the vehicles, the suitability of the drivers and their driving and rest times.
At the 46th Traffic Court Day in Goslar, around 1,500 experts from ministries, associations, authorities and universities debated current traffic issues for three days. In the past, the committee's recommendations often resulted in changes to the law. (dpa)
