PURPOSE: to ensure the proper functioning of the internal market by introducing harmonised technical requirements concerning the safety and environmental performance of motor vehicles and their trailers.
LEGISLATIVE ACT: Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 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) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulations (EC) No 78/2009, (EC) No 79/2009 and (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and a series of Commission implementing regulations.
CONTENT: over the past decades, developments in vehicle safety have contributed significantly to the overall reduction in the number of road fatalities and severe injuries. However, 25 300 people died in 2017 on Union roads, a figure that has stagnated in the last four years. Moreover, 135 000 people are seriously injured in collisions every year.
Ten years after the adoption of the previous regulation, the new regulation on the general safety of motor vehicles and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users aims to significantly reduce the number of people killed or injured on the roads.
The Regulation updates the existing rules on vehicle safety in Regulation (EC) No 661/2009 on general safety and Regulation (EC) No 78/2009 on pedestrian safety. Its main elements are as follows:
Advanced vehicle systems for all categories of motor vehicles
The new Regulation requires all motor vehicles (including trucks, buses, vans and SUVs) to be equipped with the following safety features:
- intelligent speed assistance;
- alcohol interlock installation facilitation;
- driver drowsiness and attention warning;
- advanced driver distraction warning;
- emergency stop signal;
- reversing detection; and
- event data recorder.
Safety systems shall function without the use of any kind of biometric information of drivers or passengers, including facial recognition. They shall not record or permanently store any data other than what is necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.
It should be possible to switch off the intelligent speed assistance, for example when a driver notices false warnings or inappropriate feedback as a result of inclement weather conditions, temporarily contradictory road markings in construction areas, or misleading road signs.
In addition, data recorders must be capable of recording and storing data in such a way that they can be used by Member States solely for the purpose of conducting road safety analyses, without allowing the owner or keeper of a given vehicle to be identified from the stored data.
Specific requirements for cars and vans
These should be equipped with:
- advanced emergency braking systems designed and installed in two phases and allowing: (i) the detection of obstacles and moving vehicles in front of the motor vehicle in the first phase; and (ii) the extension of the detection capability to also include pedestrians and cyclists in front of the motor vehicle in the second phase;
- emergency lane keeping systems;
- enlarged head impact protection zones, which are capable of mitigating injuries to vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, in the event of a collision.
Buses and trucks
In addition to the general requirements and existing systems (such as lane departure warning and advanced emergency braking systems), trucks and buses shall:
- be equipped with advanced systems capable of detecting pedestrians and cyclists in close proximity to the nearside of the vehicle and of warning of their presence or avoiding a collision with these vulnerable road users;
- be so constructed as to enhance the direct visibility of vulnerable road users from the driver seat, by reducing to the greatest possible extent the blind spots in front of and to the side of the driver.
The Regulation empowers the Commission to adopt specific implementing acts for the safety of hydrogen powered and automated vehicles in the light of future technical developments.
Review and report
Not later than 7 July 2027 and every five years thereafter, the Commission shall present an evaluation report on the results of the safety measures and systems, including their penetration rates. If appropriate, this report shall be accompanied by recommendations, including a legislative proposal with a view to further reducing or eliminating accidents and injuries in road transport.
ENTRY INTO FORCE: 5.1.2020.
APPLICATION: from 6.7.2022.