The European Commission has proposed that cars older than ten years should undergo a technical inspection every year. The measure is meant to improve road safety, but according to experts, it lacks evidence and could cause more harm than good. Critics point to the minimal impact of technical faults on accident rates, the risk of overburdening the system, the negative effects on low-income households, and the broader issue of restricting mobility freedom.

Key Takeaways:

• Negligible Safety Benefit: Statistics and studies show that technical faults cause less than 1% of all accidents. The proposal therefore addresses a problem that, in reality, does not exist.
• Social Injustice and Impracticality: Those hit hardest would be people in rural areas and those who cannot afford new cars. The financial and logistical burden would affect millions of drivers and overwhelm inspection stations.
• A Hidden Attack on Mobility Freedom: Combined with emission regulations, the ban on combustion engines, and the push for electric vehicles, this appears less about safety and more about a broader strategy — to restrict individual car ownership and increase control over people’s behaviour.

Analysis – Jan Rovenský

The analysis is in PDF under the link below.