Expert conference in Berlin – Clear vote in favour of the QM Association

At the 6th Expert Conference of the VdTÜV – DEKRA, which took place on 16 and 17 March 2015 in Berlin, the unique model of neutral quality control in QM e.V. once again met with broad approval. The experts voted unanimously in favour of the QM association playing an active role in the design of a central supervisory body for quality assurance in vehicle monitoring, which is to be established by 2017 in accordance with Directive 2014/45/EU.

In Section 2 – Vehicles – in addition to the development of the HU based on various examples, the quality development of vehicle monitoring was also an important topic. Dr Gerd Neumann, Managing Director of DEKRA Automobil, explained the new EU Directive 2014/45/EU as a strategic challenge for vehicle monitoring in Europe.

As Directive 2014/45/EU sets minimum requirements, many of the higher standards set in German legislation can also be enshrined in the new German regulations. A new feature is the establishment of a central supervisory body for quality assurance in vehicle monitoring, as mentioned above. Viktor Kretzschmann, head of the QM e.V. office, also spoke about the challenges in this context in his presentation. ‘The essential tasks described in the Rili, such as control checks and analysis of results and neutral reporting, are already core competencies of QM e.V. ...’. ‘There are currently no comparable alternatives to the QM association,’ emphasised Kretzschmann.

Many EU countries are currently facing the task of implementing such a body. The starting positions vary and discussions on how to proceed are in full swing. The neutral system of unannounced follow-up checks established by QM e.V. in Germany is groundbreaking in every respect. It is widely accepted and has already led to a significant increase in the quality of vehicle monitoring, as Kretzschmann explained in his presentation. The model is unique in Europe and is therefore attracting considerable international interest. With its many years of experience and diverse expertise in this field, the QM association will therefore play an active role in the process of establishing the central supervisory body. The audience at the SV Day unanimously supported this request.

In the other sections and in the plenary session of the meeting, the exchange of experiences between road safety experts also focused on developing solutions to the challenges of a mobile society. The focus was also on future topics such as the further development of autonomous driving concepts and innovative drive technologies, and the role of experts in these processes. For experts, innovation, testing and people are the three key areas of activity that will help to secure individual mobility in Germany and Europe in the future. Numerous well-known representatives from science, industry and politics took part in the discussions at the SV Day.