EU rules to make new cars safer
Europe takes a major step forward in vehicle safety tomorrow as a basket of new safety requirements for new types of motor vehicles comes into force.
Measures which become mandatory include safety belt reminders, safety requirements for electric vehicles, easier child seat anchorages (ISOFIX), better protection of passengers against the displacement of luggage in case of the accident and tyre pressure monitoring system. In addition, cars will be also equipped with gear shift indicators to help drivers save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions. These new features are required under the General Safety Regulation adopted in 2009.
This one regulation replaced more than 50 directives without weakening any safety standard. It thus constitutes a sweeping simplification of European legislation and reduction of regulatory and administrative burden for the vehicle industry.
European Commission Vice President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship, said: "We are working hard to improve the safety of European drivers, passengers and road users in general. These new measures will substantially increase the level of safety by reducing the likelihood and consequences of accidents. This will be a tangible achievement of the European Union. And let’s not forget that General Safety Regulation also performed one of the most far-reaching simplifications of our legislation by repealing more than 50 Directives and replacing them with just one single Regulation."
The safety requirements made mandatory for new types of vehicles as of 1 November will have a real impact on the safety of drivers and passengers:
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The driver seat will have to be fitted with a safety belt reminder. The device will remind the driver to fasten his or her seatbelt by means of an optical and audible warning that will persist even when the car is already moving.
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Electric cars will have to fulfil strict electric safety requirements, ensuring that car users cannot get an electric shock from parts in the vehicle or engine compartment.
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Cars will have to be fitted with at least two ISOFIX child seat anchorage points, which have to be fully integrated in the rear seats. These anchorage points can be used with compatible child seats, resulting in better stability of the child seat and better child protection. The child seats are also much easier to install on the vehicle seats.
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In addition, cars will be fitted with new labels, warning against the placement of rearward facing child restraint systems on a seat protected by an active frontal airbag.
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The rear passenger seats in front of the luggage compartment will now have to be made strong enough to protect against the displacement of luggage in the boot, in case of a frontal car crash. Occupants are therefore less likely to be struck by objects flying from the boot (trunk) in an accident, reducing likely bodily harm.
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Tyres of passenger cars will have to be fitted with an on-board tyre pressure monitoring system detecting loss of air pressure and signalling this to the driver. The chance of tyre blowouts will be thus reduced significantly. Such blowouts can cause severe roll-over accidents. Proper tyre pressure will also ensure the shortest possible braking distance and save fuel and CO2 emissions.
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Finally, new types of passenger cars will also have to be fitted with gear shift indicators aiding drivers to achieve better fuel economy by adopting a more environmentally friendly driving style.
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41 Comments
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Steve Demicoli
Nov 2nd 2012, 08:52
How much will all this be costing us (customers) - the costs 'incurred' by car companies by making these changes mandatory will just provide yet another excuse to push prices higher - while the purpose of road traction enhancing measures like tyre pressure etc and indeed of all safety measures is defeated by the horrible road surfaces locally!! Better make good road surfaces mandatory first!!
B. Farrugia
Nov 1st 2012, 07:55
Excellent changes, as they will save lives, serious injury, and improve fuel economy.
Phil Zammit
Nov 1st 2012, 04:24
The more dumb proof they make automobiles, the more dumb drivers get behind the wheel.
All you need is pushing a button - and voila - you can "drive". California now approved driver-less cars! A GPS takes you to your destination in your car.
Roads clogged with incompetent drivers and vehicles with millions of monitoring/sensing gadgets ready to fail in 5 years.
Nazzareno Cortis
Oct 31st 2012, 19:12
The regulations mentioned makes sense when driving abroad in a say 400 KM roads!!!!! They just don't make sense in Malta!!!!!!
Raymond Bezzina
Oct 31st 2012, 18:48
It seems that the authorities need to be reminded that not only the cars need to be as safe as possible but also the roads.
Cars are being examined every two years by the VRT test and a certificate is issued when the car is road worthy.
Why aren't the roads also being tested for safety driving every two years and a certificate issued regarding the condition of the road ?
Stephen Cutajar
Oct 31st 2012, 18:11
To make the roads safer, one has to do just that. MAKE SURE THE ROADS ARE SAFE. Unfortunately our roads are not safe.
Carmel De Gabriele
Oct 31st 2012, 17:48
EU should take a major step in road safety.(See the state of the road in the photo).
John Farrugia
Oct 31st 2012, 16:42
What about a HOLE going to Rabat between Gasan and Mirror factory at Imrihel road,Have been there AGES and the left wheel EASY can broke done,So no Police or warden or PM or TM have notice this WHOLE,Viva EU
Peter Murray
Oct 31st 2012, 16:33
Thes new EU rules wont work here as the only surefire vehicle safety feature would be no accelerator pedal !
Shawn Abela
Oct 31st 2012, 16:30
This is hogwash.
2011 cars have all the above including the gear shift indicator to change gears for optimal fuel consumption.
Seatbelt reminders, ISO FIX etc.... have been available since the late 1990's.
So whats new??
James Tyrrell
Oct 31st 2012, 17:00
What's new is that they are now mandatory whereas before they were just available on some cars.
J Micallef
Oct 31st 2012, 16:20
I wonder whether there was any lobbying by the producers of these "accessories".
Eddy Privitera
Nov 2nd 2012, 11:44
J. mIcallef: Are you in any doubt ? That is the reason why there are many thousands of lobbyists in Brussels.
Mr Alexander Barbara
Oct 31st 2012, 16:10
All are good safety measurements, however none apply for the poor roads of Malta.
william cauchi
Oct 31st 2012, 16:06
The photo says it all, so many fine cars in that showroom, to drive on what? Check the outside lane in that photo.
Awful.
No wonder I lost 2 tyres in just as many weeks as I had a few appointments in the Qrendi area. Good thing I have no false teeth.
B.T.W., the tyre pressure indicator works like a charm.
Daniel Vella
Oct 31st 2012, 15:54
Proper tyre pressure will also ensure the shortest possible braking distance and save fuel and CO2 emissions. So when are we going to have our roads fixed so that we can inflate our tyres to the specified pressure? I tried going by the book inflating my tyres to 2.5bar however my mechanic deflated them back to 2.0 saying that in Malta roads are too bad for 2.5bar.
Eddy Privitera
Oct 31st 2012, 15:52
More and more EU rules so that the thousands of bureaucrats in Brussels may continue to enjoy their super salaries and perks , paid by common EU citizens !
George Joseph Cauchi
Oct 31st 2012, 16:34
Mr Privitera, I welcome more EU rules if these are good for the citizens, unfortunately our Government picks and chooses which to implement and we are still backward compared to other EU countries. So does it make any difference???
John Micallef
Oct 31st 2012, 17:59
Sur privitera, biex ninfurmak biss qed nghidlek. Dawn r regolamenti qeghdin mhux biex isebbhu l karozza imma biex jghamluha aktar sikura, b hekk jien u int innaqqsu l periklu li nkorru meta nuzawha.
Eddy Privitera
Nov 2nd 2012, 11:48
John Micallef: U dawn il-gzuz ta' regolamenti iservu biex izidu l-bejgh ta' min jaghmel dawk il-parts. U jghollu l-prezzijiet tal-karozzi. U ghad pitghada, x'hemm xi jzomm lil UE li tiddeciedi li minn certa data, KULL karozza fit-triq irid ikollha dawn il-gadgets kollha. U allura jkollok tixtri karozza gdida ?
Charles W. Sammut
Oct 31st 2012, 15:34
The average overall speed you can achieve in Malta is between 30 and 35 kph. Most of the time you are in first or second gear making most of these nanny measures irrelevant. They will only serve to push up the price of cars and for more things to go wrong.
How about fixing the roads instead?
Stannis Baratheon
Oct 31st 2012, 15:28
These requirements should apply to every single vehicle on the road right now. If you cannot afford them, then you should not be allowed to drive, simple as that. Safety should be a top priority and enforced at all costs.
J Farrugia
Oct 31st 2012, 16:20
Yeah Stannis, and what if i dont want to change my car as there is nothing wrong with it, you know millions of people drive daily and not everyone dies. shall be wear bubble wrap just in case and make sure we have a paramedic in the car just in case an eyelash falls off.
Chris Mifsud
Oct 31st 2012, 15:13
Trust the EU to invent stupid unnecessary rules.
Gear shift indicators ?? Are some people so stupid that they need something like that ?
Jason Coleiro
Oct 31st 2012, 16:10
the only cars that ever had them were bmw. What they did not take by force in WW2 they are implementing it now in another way mate.
Ramon Casha
Oct 31st 2012, 17:56
@Jason Coleiro: Some Hondas do too. It's a fairly simple system - and it actually can be useful in some new engines which can be so quiet that you don't have the audible indication that you're over or under gear.
J Farrugia
Oct 31st 2012, 15:12
Usual EU rubbish to make themselves look like they actually do something in Brussels.
C Cassar
Oct 31st 2012, 15:27
It isn't rubbish. It's called progress. When ABS was introduced many said it wasn't needed and that they could outbrake the feature. That proved rubbish and now virtuall every new car no matter what the price comes with ABS. Same with seat belts etc. Tyre pressue monitors are a life saver and designing for luggage not to penetrate the passenger cabin is the same. The Maltese don't understand.
J Farrugia
Oct 31st 2012, 16:07
CCassar knows everything as usual, for your information ABS only works properly on properly tarmaced roads, tyre pressure indicators as well, i know more about motors than you think sherlock so get off your pedestal and stick to sucking up to Gonzi which is what your good at.
John Micallef
Oct 31st 2012, 18:05
Ma nafx il ghala dejjem tridu ddahhlu l politika fin nofs. Dawn huma affarijiet li jsalvaw il hajja u jzidu l efficjenza li topera biha l karozza. U jekk ma tafx, l ewwel generazzjoni tal abs ma kienetx tajba ghal toroq li mhux asfaltati kif suppost. Jekk tfittex ftit, l ahhar generazzjoni tas sistemi yal abs huma efficjenti fuq kill tip ta wicc ta triq
E. Azzopardi
Oct 31st 2012, 15:00
Very good.
How about smoking?
Can the EC now pass the laws and regulations that Mr Dalli worked so hard for?
W Cassar
Oct 31st 2012, 14:56
I like the idea of a on-board tyre pressure monitoring system, curious to know how it will work.
Daniel Vella
Oct 31st 2012, 15:51
You can also retrofit these on existing cars. This would mean going to your tyre specialist and fitting in new types of valves which transmit a signal. You would have a monitor inside the car showing you individual pressure for each wheel and also temperature.
Keith Fisher
Oct 31st 2012, 16:03
Not sure about retro fitting on older cars. It certainly sounds plausible. On most modern cars the pressure is monitored electronically by a sensor within the wheel hub and will alert the driver with a bleep and a picture of an underinflated tyre if the pressure drops more than 3psi than the recommended tyre pressure.
Austin grech
Oct 31st 2012, 14:49
with the roads in Malta, being what they are. its just a joke having these safety features, while the roads are a killer.
carmel callus
Oct 31st 2012, 14:57
Not the roads are the killers but the bad drivers i.e. most maltese drivers.
Ann Clark
Oct 31st 2012, 15:02
I think you will find it is not only the state of the roads, but also the state of the driving on Maltese roads. As a pedestrian I often wonder how many drivers have actually passed a driving test! I also wonder why more is not done to stop and fine drivers who drive while talking on mobile phones.
Joe Naudi
Oct 31st 2012, 14:40
Hi The safety requirements rules should apply to all new and old vehicles, not only to new vehicles. Joe P Naudi
carmel callus
Oct 31st 2012, 14:58
How can the new rules aply to all old vehicles!
Joseph M Scicluna
Oct 31st 2012, 15:06
@Joe Naudi
If you can afford all these alterations into an old car, I am sorry but I can't make ends meet here. On the other hand I don't know how much these gadgets can fit a humble 8 year old car like mine. Let sleeping dogs lie please.
Noel Balzan
Oct 31st 2012, 15:46
There are vehicles on the Maltese roads that have no seatbelts and still pass the bi-anual VRT. You know why? Simple answer - they were manufactured long time ago before the seatbelt legislation was in place. This applies as well to emissions regulation. currently we're in Euro 5 spec. There is no way where you can upgrade a euro 1 vehicle to a euro 5 unless you buy a brand new one!
Please choose the reason of your report below: