The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers, ACEM, hosted its 12th annual conference in Brussels on September 7th, with the theme of ‘The Safe Ride to the Future’ – based around the issue of motorcycling safety in the European Union.
As part of the conference, ACEM and the German Road Safety Council (Deutscher Verkehrssicherheitsrat) presented a new European Training Quality Label for high-quality post-license training programmes.
A motorcycle training scheme run by the Royal Dutch Motorcycle Federation (KNMV) was the first one to receive the certification.
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| From left to the right: Antonio Avenoso - ETSC European Transport Safety Council; Alisa Tiganj - European Commission, Cabinet of the European Commissioner for Transport; Jacqueline Lacroix - DVR, German Road Safety Council; Arjan Everink - KNMV, Royal Dutch Motorcyclists Association; Stephan Schaller - ACEM President; Antonio Perlot - ACEM Secretary General |
ACEM also organised an exhibition on motorcycle safety technology that featured some of the latest vehicle models launched by the industry, as well as innovative safety devices such as a side view assist system, a wireless airbag jacket and an electronic windscreen.
ACEM, IMMA and BMW Motorrad President Stephan Schaller said that “ACEM members manufacture some of the most advanced motorcycles and mopeds in the world. But it is also important that motorcyclists have good riding skills and a responsible attitude on the road. This is precisely why we are partnering with the German Road Safety Council to promote the best post-license training programmes across Europe.
“Intelligent transport systems (ITS) solutions have also started to make their way into our industry. We expect that in the future vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technologies will help to reduce the risk of accidents by allowing powered two-wheelers to effectively communicate with other vehicles”.
ACEM Secretary General Antonio Perlot said: “There are more than 36 million motorcycles and mopeds on Europe’s roads, which help to save time and money for commuters, increase urban traffic fluidity and reduce congestion.
“Our 12th annual conference discussions clearly showed that motorcycling safety is a shared responsibility, and that it is essential that vehicle manufacturers, European and national administrations and users’ organisations work together to achieve lasting safety improvements”.
ACEM is the professional body representing the interests of the L-category vehicle industry in Europe (i.e. mopeds, motorcycles, tricycles, quadricycles). ACEM members include 17 manufacturing companies as well as 17 national associations based in 14 European countries. About 156,300 jobs in the EU depend on the L-category industry.
ACEM manufacturing members are: BMW Motorrad, Bombardier Recreational Products, Ducati Motor Holding, Harley-Davidson, Honda Motors, Kawasaki Motors, KTM Motorrad, Kymco, MV Agusta, Peugeot Scooters, Piaggio Group, Polaris Industries, Renault, Royal Enfield, Suzuki, Triumph Motorcycles and Yamaha Motors.
The German Road Safety Council (DVR) was founded in 1969. It coordinates a wide range of activities for its 200 members and develops road safety programmes. Among the key issues that the DVR deals with are traffic engineering, traffic law, awareness-raising and traffic education.
www.acem.eu
www.dvr.de
