Road safety: protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users

The Committee on Transport and Tourism adopted a report by Francesco FERRARI (ALDE, IT) and made some amendments to the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

The main amendments are as follows:

Scope: Sections 2 and 3 of Annex I (tests required to be carried out on vehicles) shall not apply to:  vehicles of category M1 derived from N1 and of maximum mass exceeding 2500 kg, as well as vehicles of category N1, where the driver position 'R-point' is either forward of the front axle or longitudinally rearwards of the front axle transverse centreline by less than 1050 +/- 50 mm.

Definitions: following the above, the Committee inserted a definition for 'vehicles of category M1 derived from N1' as meaning those vehicles of M1 category and of maximum mass exceeding 2500 kg which, forward of the A-pillars, have the same general structure and shape as a pre-existing N1 category vehicle.

Target dates: MEPs state that compulsory brake systems (BAS) on cars should be fitted by September 2010 instead of 2011. Phase I should be effective for new vehicles by 31 December 2012 instead of a year later as proposed by the Commission.  Phase II should be introduced (a) by September 2012 for new types of vehicles; (b) for new vehicles below 2.5 tonnes by September 2017 and (c) for new vehicles above 2.5 tonnes by February 2019 (instead of June 2020). 

Brake Assist and active safety technologies: the Commission, acting on the basis of relevant information communicated by the approval authorities and interested parties as well as on the basis of independent studies, shall monitor the technical developments of enhanced passive safety requirements, Brake Assist and other active safety technologies which may provide improved protection to vulnerable road users. Five years after entry into force of the Regulation, the Commission shall review the feasibility and use of any such enhanced passive safety requirements. It shall review the functioning of the Regulation with regard to the use and effectiveness of Brake Assist and other active safety technologies.

Test on frontal protection system: one of the tests on the lower legform is amended so that the test is performed at an impact speed of 40 km/h. The maximum dynamic knee bending angle shall not exceed 24,0° (rather than 26), the maximum dynamic knee shearing displacement shall not exceed 7,5 mm, and the acceleration measured at the upper end of the tibia shall not exceed 215g (rather than 250g).

Comitology: performance requirements for collision avoidance systems should not be dealt by comitology procedure. Furthermore, the Commission must propose to the European Parliament and the Council any implementing measures on collision avoidance systems rather than doing this through comitology.

Lastly, the Committee specified that the Commission shall intensify its efforts to reduce speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and to increase the use of lighter motor vehicles by campaigning and proposing stricter legislation, in order to make this Regulation more effective.