A key committee of MEPs has voted through a range of new mandatory vehicle safety standards that could apply to new vehicle models within three years.
Members of the European Parliament’s Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) voted today to approve a range of new vehicle safety standards initially proposed by the European Commission in May last year. The measures include new crash testing requirements, mandatory installation of driver assistance systems including Automated Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, overridable Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) and Lane Keep Assistance (LKA), as well as a new direct vision standard for lorries and buses to enable drivers to have a better view of other road users around their vehicle.
A recent report from Brake and Direct Line, based on a survey of more than 2,000 UK drivers, found that drivers support these measures, with nearly 9 in 10 agreeing that all new cars should be fitted with the latest life-saving safety features as standard. The report also found that more than half of drivers would not spend more on a new car to ensure it had AEB, ISA or LKA, highlighting how the EU’s regulatory action will help deliver the life-saving potential of these technologies for all.
With the 29 March looming ever closer, Brake also asked drivers their views on what should happen to our vehicle safety standards post-Brexit and the response was categorical, more than 9 in 10 want car safety standards in the UK to remain at least as high as those across the EU, post Brexit.
Commenting Josh Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said:
“This is a landmark day for road safety. The European Parliament has voted through life-saving safety standards for all new vehicles, which could save 25,000 lives in fifteen years. We now urge the final negotiations to take place as soon as possible, so we can make this step-change for road safety a reality.
“With 29 March edging ever closer, UK drivers have made their views perfectly clear – they want car safety standards in the UK to remain at least as high as those in the EU, post-Brexit. The government must commit to adopting these new lifesaving regulations into UK law as a matter of priority and help put an end to the epidemic of road death, which sees five people killed on our roads every single day.”
