Rest areas are key to the breaks needed by carriers, so it is essential that they meet service and safety requirements. Recently, the European Commission has published a regulation setting out the minimum standard that safe parking areas must offer.
These will include toilet areas for both genders, places where food and beverages can be purchased and consumed, internet connection to facilitate communication, refuelling points and emergency contact presence. In addition, four levels will be used to certify the areas: Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze.
The Indefense Right of Use (IRU), representing the commercial road transport sector, welcomed the new rules as an important step towards improving conditions for drivers.
Despite this new regulation, he also said in a statement, there are currently only 300,000 parking spaces available in the EU, with a shortfall of 100,000 spaces to meet total demand. Moreover, according to a 2019 study, less than 3% are in areas certified as safe and secure, so it “called for ambitious targets to build additional safe and secure areas.”
