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Road Safety
Vehicles
Over the past years, cars and trucks have become increasingly safer. Automotive manufacturers have worked to protect the passenger of cars and also third parties in case of an accident (so-called passive safety). The progress has been achieved through European Union type approval legislation, but also through market-based efforts of industry, such as the NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) initiatives, which provide a safety rating for new passenger cars, based on crash-tests.
Active safety devices are conceived to avoid an accident, using state of the art information technology within the car and also in communication with other cars or infrastructures. Much of these new technologies are developed, demonstrated and deployed within the European e-Safety initiative. Further advanced systems are being put in place to speed up rescue efforts after an accident, via the eCall project.
Since 9 May 2006, Directive 2003/20 requests everybody needs to fasten their seatbelts in vehicles where they are available.
