European Parliament backs new vehicle safety standards
During its last session of its current mandate, the European Parliament has approved the new minimum EU vehicle safety requirements that will come into force from 2022.
According to the final deal on the legislation, new cars, vans, lorries and buses sold in Europe will be fitted as standard with a range of new vehicle safety features. These, according to the Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) Antonio Avenoso, could prevent 25,000 deaths within 15 years of coming into force.
New technologies and improvements for safer vehicles
The new rules include requirements for new technologies, such as Automated Emergency Braking, which can detect pedestrians and cyclists, as well as overridable Intelligent Speed Assistance and, possibly, an alcohol interlock device – a technological solution for tackling repeat drink driving in use in a number of EU Member States.
New lorries will be required to have improved levels of “direct vision” to give drivers a greater chance of seeing vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists around the vehicle.
New vehicles will also be required to be fitted with Electronic Data Recorders that store vital data on the car’s status in the moments immediately before a collision. Such information is vital to understanding why crashes occur and for preventing future collisions.