Abandonment of the Initiative “Safe Roads Now!” in Switzerland

The cantonal initiative “Safer Roads Now!” calls for assistance systems for heavy motor vehicles on Alpine transit routes. Based on the results of the consultation and the advanced modernization of vehicles, the Federal Council decided in its meeting on April 2, 2025, to forgo the enactment.

(Bern) Heavy motor vehicles for the transport of goods or people shall only be allowed to operate on the Alpine transit routes if they are equipped with certain assistance systems. The Parliament decided this based on the cantonal initiative from the canton of Ticino (“Safe Roads Now”) in October 2021 and accordingly amended the Road Traffic Act (SVG) (Art. 45a). To implement this, the Federal Council opened the consultation on adjustments to the Signaling Ordinance (SSV) and the Road Traffic Control Ordinance (SKV) on February 14, 2024.

Advanced Modernization of Vehicles

The participants in the consultation, particularly the directly affected cantons, mostly expressed critical views on the proposed implementation. The assistance systems required by the cantonal initiative are already present in almost all operating trucks due to fleet renewal. The use of older vehicles without assistance systems is continuously decreasing. Therefore, the goal of the cantonal initiative can already be considered achieved overall. For these reasons, the Federal Council deems the implementation of Article 45a SVG no longer appropriate and thus refrains from enacting the SVG partial revision until a parliamentary reassessment.

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