ACEA backs new vehicle safety rules

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has welcomed the European Parliament’s decision to revise the General Safety Regulation, which mandates the safety technologies to be included as standard in new vehicles.

ACEA, which represents 15 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus manufacturers, said the vote by the lead Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) Committee is an important step towards adopting this legislation.

“We welcome the willingness of MEPs to enter rapidly into inter-institutional negotiations on this legislation, which is key to further improving road safety,” stated ACEA Secretary General, Erik Jonnaert.

ACEA states it backs the broad range of the safety measures voted upon by IMCO, including the requirement that all new cars come equipped with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), drowsiness and attention detection systems, reversing detection for cars and vans, emergency stop signals, and lane departure warning systems.

ACEA warns that auto manufacturers are concerned about the proposed time between the entry into force of the regulation and the moment it applies. This should be aligned with product development time in a pragmatic way, allowing at least 36 months before application.

Jonnaert added: “Despite a three-fold increase in traffic, road safety in Europe has improved significantly in the last 30 years. Maintaining this trend is important for an industry that prides itself on designing, producing and selling safe vehicles in probably one of the most demanding markets in the world.”