Frontal impact resistance of motor vehicles (amend. Directive 70/156/EEC)

The committee adopted the DONNELLY report on the frontal impact resistance of vehicles by a large majority. There had been very extensive consultations with regard to this issue. In particular, a public hearing held on 20 March 1995 had brought together the views of many experts from the European Transport Safety Council, as well as the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (EAMA), the International Automobile Federation (IAF) and consumer groups. During this hearing, all the participants agreed that it was essential to draw up uniform legislation on impact tests. In general, Mr DONNELLY's report proposed abandoning the two-stage procedure for frontal impact tests. For these tests, the stage involving a 30% angled rigid barrier test would be done away with. Instead, models would immediately undergo an offset deformable barrier test. Furthermore, the text of the report on frontal impacts proposed a set of stricter test criteria, including an increase in the test speed to at least 56 km/h, instead of 50 km/h as proposed by the Commission. The new test standard would be compulsory from 1 October 1998 for new car models and from 1 October 2003 for all new vehicles. Furthermore, the report proposed that two years after the adoption of the legislation on frontal impacts, the review should cover the possible need to increase the test speed from 56 km/h to 64 km/h. Mr DONNELLY pointed out that Commissioner BANGEMANN had welcomed the amendments adopted by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, and this had been confirmed by the Commission representative. �