The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the report by Róża Gräfin von THUN UND HOHENSTEIN (EPP, PL) on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, as regards their general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users, amending Regulation (EU) 2018/.... and repealing Regulations (EC) No 78/2009, (EC) No 79/2009 and (EC) No 661/2009.
The committee recommended that the European Parliament's position adopted at first reading under the ordinary legislative procedure should amend the Commission's proposal.
Subject matter
This Regulation specifies and complements Regulation (EU) 2018/858 as regards the general safety of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, and as regards the protection and safety of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users.
Definitions
Members sought to clarify the definition of vulnerable road users. It shall mean a road user using a one or multiple-wheel powered vehicle without protective bodywork or a non-motorised road user, such as a cyclist or a pedestrian.
Tyre pressure monitoring systems and tyres
Members proposed to include a new article stipulating that manufacturers shall also ensure that the relevant systems and features are developed in such a way so as to ensure the user acceptance and that motor vehicle's user instructions contain clear and comprehensive information in regard to the functioning of those systems and features.
Advanced vehicle systems for all categories of motor vehicle
Members stressed that driver drowsiness and attention warning and advanced driver distraction warning systems shall be designed in such a way that those systems do not continuously record nor retain any data other than what is necessary in relation to the purposes for which they were collected or otherwise processed within the closed-loop system. Furthermore, that data shall not be accessible or made available to third party at any time and shall be immediately deleted after processing. Those systems shall also be designed to avoid overlap and shall not prompt the driver separately and concurrently or in a confusing manner in case one action triggers both systems.
Accident recorders
An accident data recorder shall not be capable of recording and storing the last four digits of the vehicle indicator section of the vehicle identification number or any other information which could allow the individual vehicle itself, its owner or holder, to be identified.
Accident data recorders shall meet the following requirements:
- the data that they are capable of recording and storing with respect of the period shortly before, during and immediately after a collision shall include the vehicle's speed, breaking, position and tilt of the vehicle on the road, the state and rate of activation of all its safety systems, 112-based eCall in-vehicle system, brake activation and relevant input parameters of the on-board active safety and accident avoidance systems, with high level of accuracy and ensured survivability of data;
- it shall not be possible to deactivate the devices;
- the way in which they are capable of recording and storing data shall be such that: (i) they operate on a closed-loop system; (ii) the data collected is anonymised and protected against manipulation and misuse; (iii) precise vehicle type, version and variant, and in particular the active safety and accident avoidance systems fitted to the vehicle, can be identified;
- the data can be made available to national authorities over a standardised interface.
Moreover, safety features and warnings used in assisting driving shall be easily perceived by every driver, including the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Specific requirements relating to buses and truck
Vehicles of categories M2, M3, N2 and N3 shall be designed and constructed so as to enhance the direct visibility of vulnerable road users from the driver seat, to remove the blind spots in front of the driver seat and to significantly reduce the blind spots through the side windows. Specificities of different types of vehicles shall be taken into account.
Review and reporting
By four years after the date of application of this Regulation and every three years thereafter, the Commission shall submit an evaluation report on the functioning of all safety measures and systems, including those retrofitted to existing vehicles. Where appropriate, that report shall be accompanied by recommendations, including a legislative proposal to amend the requirements as regards general safety and the protection and safety of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users, in order to support the developments towards Vision Zero driving.