29.4.2014 Official Journal of the European Union L 127/51 DIRECTIVE 2014/45/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 3 April 2014 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC (Text with EEA relevance) THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 91 thereof, Having regard to the proposal from the European Commission, After transmission of the draft legislative act to the national parliaments, Having regard to the opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (1), After consulting the Committee of the Regions, Acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure (3), Whereas: (1)  In its White Paper of 28 March 2011 entitled ‘Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area — Towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’, the Commission set out a ‘zero-vision’ objective whereby the Union should move close to zero fatalities in road transport by 2050. With a view to attaining that objective, vehicle technology is expected to contribute greatly to improvement of the safety record of road transport. (20  In its Communication entitled ‘Towards a European road safety area: policy orientations on road safety 2011- 20207, the Commission proposed a further halving of the overall number of road fatalities in the Union by 2020, starting from 2010. With a view to attaining that goal, the Commission set out seven strategic objectives, and identified actions for safer vehicles, a strategy to reduce the number of injuries and measures to improve the safety of vulnerable road users, in particular motorcyclists. (3)  Roadworthiness testing is a part of a wider regime designed to ensure that vehicles are kept in a safe and environmentally acceptable condition during their use. That regime should cover periodic roadworthiness testing of vehicles and technical roadside inspection of vehicles used for commercial road transport activities, as well as providing for a vehicle registration procedure allowing for the suspension of a vehicle’s authorisation to be used in road traffic where the vehicle constitutes an immediate risk to road safety. Periodic testing should be the main tool to ensure roadworthiness. Technical roadside inspections of commercial vehicles should merely be complementary to periodic testing. (4)  Member States should be allowed to set higher test standards than those required by this Directive. (5)  Enforcement of roadworthiness measures may include awareness campaigns focusing on vehicle owners and aimed at developing good practices and habits resulting from basic checks on their vehicles. (6)  Vehicles with malfunctioning technical systems have an impact on road safety and may contribute to road crashes involving injuries or fatalities. That impact could be reduced if adequate improvements to the roadworthiness testing system were put in place. Early disclosure of a deficiency in the roadworthiness of a vehicle would help to remedy that deficiency and hence prevent accidents. () OJ C 44, 15.2.2013, p. 128. (?) Position of the European Parliament of 11 March 2014 (not yet published in the Official Journal) and decision of the Council of 24 March 2014.