16/07/08 | Better regulation

Paving the way for safer and greener cars

Adopted on 23 May 2008, the European Commission's proposal for a new Regulation concerning type-approval requirements for the general safety of motor vehicles will have a threefold impact, as stated by European Commission Vice President, Günter Verheugen in his presentation of the new 'car safety package': "We are simplifying legislation. We are improving road safety. We are promoting fuel efficiency. We are presenting a modern integrated policy approach beneficial for citizens, for the environment and the industry."

The proposal recommends the widespread adoption of a number of safety-enhancing technologies which have been developed by manufacturers over the last decade. These include electronic stability control (ESC), advanced emergency braking (AEBS) and lane departure warning systems. It also calls for the mandatory introduction of new requirements for motor-vehicle tyres aimed primarily at reducing fuel consumption and accessorily, noise levels.

Simplifying and harmonising

One of the principal objectives of the proposal is to do away with the large number of existing directives on car safety and replace them with a single Regulation, directly applicable in the EU Member States and in line with harmonised UN standards. Most of the work on car safety standards is already carried out within the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), with the close involvement of the EU.

"Instead of having a lot of different directives, which are basically copying the UN regulations, we will repeal most of the directives on car safety and refer to UN rules in the matter. This will remove the present duplication," comments the project officer, Ian Knowles, in the Enterprise and Industry DG. "In certain areas this will update safety requirements as in some cases EU rules have been left behind. It also has the advantage of ensuring greater international harmonisation of rules, simplifying things for the motor vehicle industry."

Better safety for all

The number of deaths on the road in Europe has fallen by 24% since 2001. Further progress in this direction over the next decade is most likely to come from technological advances which help improve the safety of vehicles. "A number of advanced safety technologies have been developed and introduced to the market," notes Knowles. "But their introduction is not even. It tends to be limited to top-end vehicles, or to certain Member States and not others. We are trying to even up the market and improve safety for all."

Electronic stability control (ESC) systems are a case in point. Numerous studies around the world confirm that ESC is highly effective in helping a driver maintain control of their car, thus saving lives and reducing the severity of crashes. The proposed Regulation will make ESC mandatory on all new car models from 2012, and on all new cars (existing models too) from 2014. Preliminary estimates suggest that this is likely to save around 2 000-2 500 lives per year.

In addition, all heavy-duty vehicles will be required to have an advanced emergency braking system (AEBS) and a lane departure warning (LDW) system by 2013. This requirement may be extended to all vehicles in due course, but initially it will apply to large vehicles only. "This is for two main reasons," says Knowles. "These systems are still very expensive but their cost is more easily absorbed in the overall cost of larger vehicles; and the consequences of accidents involving large vehicles are more serious - either because the weight of the vehicle causes more damage or because they are carrying a large number of passengers."

Reducing fuel consumption

The new 'car safety package' proposal also foresees the mandatory fitting of tyre-pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) on passenger cars and introduces a number of requirements for tyres aimed primarily at reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Tyre-pressure monitoring systems warn the driver when tyre pressure is low. Low pressure can increase fuel consumption by 4%, reduce tyre lifespan by 45% and can cause accidents. Tyres can lose 3-6% of pressure every month which frequently goes unnoticed, so TPMS should contribute significantly to both greater fuel efficiency and safety. All new car models should have integrated TPMS by 2012 and all new cars by 2014.

With regard to tyres, all new car models will be required to be equipped with low rolling resistance tyres (LRRT) by 2012. This will be extended to all new cars by 2014. This new type of tyre lowers fuel consumption, by reducing the resistance to motion that occurs when the tyre rolls over the road surface. Again, one of the main benefits of this will be a reduction in fuel consumption. In addition, the proposal makes the requirements on rolling noise for tyres more stringent and introduces new requirements on tyres with respect to their wet grip. With regard to wet grip, the standards are not being changed from the existing situation, but a minimum standard has been set to ensure that other changes made do not compromise safety.

The text only of the articles can be republished as long as the source of the article is quoted: Enterprise & Industry magazine (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/magazine/index_en.htm), © European Union, 2008 - 2012