European Commission officials have proposed new measures to punish drivers who commit traffic offences in another member state.
Speeding, drink driving, failing to wear a seat belt and jumping red lights were the main factors in the annual European road death toll of 43,000 last year, said the Commission.
At least one of these four offences was an element in nearly 75% of all road deaths, it said.
But non-resident drivers were rarely punished for the offences, said Transport Commissioner Jacques Barrot, presenting the proposals.
The EU set itself a goal in 2001 of reducing the number of deaths on EU roads by half in ten years. The death toll stood at 54,000 in 2001.
Adopting an effective system of cross-border prosecution of traffic offences should help to reduce the number of people killed in road accidents, the Commission believes.
Non-resident drivers need to be targeted specifically because they account for a disproportionate amount of offences.
Although they made up about 5% of road traffic in the EU last year they were responsible for an average of 15% of speeding offences in the zone.
EU officials would use technology to identify offenders and legal measures to prosecute them - even if they commit their offence abroad.
