Road safety: safety belts and restraint systems (amend. Directive 77/541/EEC)

In the common position which was adopted unanimously, the Council has:

- amended Article 1, in order to allow Member States to exempt safety belts and restraint systems intended for disabled people from compliance with the provision of the Directive;

- included a new article to invite the Commission to examine specific procedures to harmonize requirements for disabled people;

- postponed various dates of entry into force;

- rejected the European Parliament amendment, aiming in Article 1 at fitting a two point belt on side-facing seats in tourist coaches, since the Council shares the views of the Commission regarding the danger of side-facing seats in all kinds of vehicles.

New elements introduced by the Council include :

- Article 1 - Point 1: the text of the Commission has been replaced by a new text which allows safety belts and restraint systems intended for disabled people to be exempted from the technical provisions of the Directive.

- Article 2 : a new Article has been added to invite the Commission to present, if appropriate, draft

measures in order to harmonise the national legislation applicable to safety belts and restraint systems intended for disabled people.

- Article 3 (ex Article 2) : all the dates concerning the implementation of the Directive have been postponed and replaced by mobile dates depending on the date of adoption of this new Directive.

The common position is broadly in line with the Commission proposal. The main changes to the Commission proposal concern the exemption permitted with respect to safety belts and restraint systems for disabled people and the dates of transposition and of entry into force of this Directive which have been adapted.