Driver and Vehicle Agency to host international driver standards conference in Belfast next year

The Driver and Vehicle Agency (DVA) has been successful in a bid to bring a major international driver standards conference to Belfast in 2018.

DVA Director of Operations, Pat Delaney, accepting the nomination to host the event

The 50th CIECA (Commission Internationale des Examens de Conduite Automobile) General Assembly and Congress attracts upwards of 200 international delegates and will take place over four days from Tuesday 29 May to Friday 1 June.

The event takes place annually in a different European city. The announcement was made at the 49th General Assembly and Congress in Trondheim, Norway.

DVA Chief Executive Paul Duffy said:

“The Department is delighted to have secured this conference for Belfast, which we estimate will inject around £350,000 into the local economy.

“The DVA and CIECA share common goals to improve road safety, to protect the environment and to help facilitate the safe mobility of road freight and passenger transport both private and commercial. This conference offers a unique opportunity to bring together delegates to discuss the transformation and challenges of road safety and emerging technological advances within the driving industry.

“Members are mostly from Europe with some from as far afield as the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. This will provide the opportunity to showcase the very best of Belfast and the region to an international audience, demonstrating the significant transformation that the city has undergone since the Congress was last held in Belfast in 1996.”

Further details on the conference will be confirmed in the coming months.

Notes to editors: 

1. CIECA is the Commission Internationale des Examens de Conduite Automobile. Its purpose is to improve driving standards, to contribute to road traffic education, to improve road safety, to protect the environment and to facilitate the mobility of road freight and passenger transport, both private and commercial.
2. There are 47 Effective Members in CIECA, of which the DVA is one, they mostly m European states, but Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, The United Arab Emirates and Tunisia are also represented.In addition, there are a further 28 Associated Members mostly from road safety institutes, universities and the driving test industry.Finally, there are five Affiliated Members representing the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, the European Driving Schools Association, the European Transport Training Association, MOVING the International Road Safety Association, and the Nordic Union of Driving Schools Associations.
3. The programme for the General Assembly and Congress is over three days with a fourth day which is set aside as a culture day where some delegates and their spouse/partner, if they attended, go on an excursion to sample the tourist attractions of the local area.
4. All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office on 028 9054 0007 or email: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk. Out of hours please contact the duty press officer via pager number 07623 974 383.
5. Follow the Department on Twitter @deptinfra
6. The £350,000 injection into the local economy is based on Visit Belfast’s per night calculation.  

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