Road safety: anchorages of safety belts (amend. Directive 76/115/EEC)

In the common position which was adopted unanimously, the Council has:

- amended Article 1, in order to allow Member States to exempt anchorages for safety belts and for restrain systems intended for disabled people from compliance with the provisions of the Directive;

- added a new article to invite the Commission to examine specific procedures to harmonize the requirements for disabled people;

- postponed various dates of entry into force;

- rejected the 4 European Parliament amendments, aiming in Article 1 at fitting anchorages for a two-point belt on side-facing seats in tourist coaches, since the Council shares the Commission's view regarding the danger of side-facing seats in all kinds of vehicles.

New elements have been introduced by the Council:

- Article 1 - Point 2: the text of the Commission has been completed by specific provisions related to anchorages for safety belts and restraint systems intended for disabled people, allowing those anchorages to be exempted from the technical provisions of the Directive.

- Article 2 : a new article has been added to invite the Commission to present, if appropriate, draft measures in order to harmonize the national legislation applicable to safety belts and restraint systems intended for disabled people.

- Article 3 (ex Art. 2) : all the dates concerning the implementation of the Directive have been postponed and replaced by mobile dates depending on the date of adoption of this new Directive.

The common position is broadly in line with the Commission proposal. The main changes to the Commission proposal concern the exemption permitted with respect to anchorages for safety belts and restraint systems for disabled people and the dates of transposition and of entry into force of this Directive which have been adapted.