The European Commission (EC) has released its long awaited report on safety testing procedures for all new motor vehicles. These are new regulations that could have huge repercussions for road safety across the EU. The report provides a list of 19 designs/technologies, and many with a direct impact on cycling. However there is concern that some of these technologies will have too long lead in time, or will not be used to their maximum capacity.

Though there has been a steady reduction in the number of road fatalities over the past twenty years progress is beginning to level off, this is particularly true of cyclist fatalities. Total road fatalities across the EU stands at around 26,000 per year, and cycling fatalities stand at around 2,100. In the EU the number of cyclists being killed and seriously injured is decreasing, but it is still at a slower rate than the overall fatalities. While total fatalities has dropped by 42% over the past ten years, cycling fatalities has stalled at around 25% and even increased slightly in 2014 -15. Improving vehicle safety standards could have a huge effect on cycling fatalities and serious injuries.

Motor vehicles are regulated at the EU through EU type approval which means that manufacturers have one set of regulations for all 28 countries rather than a patchwork of type approval across countries. The safety standards within Type Approval are enshrined in the General Safety and Pedestrian Protection Regulations. Current technologies and design examples include seat belt reminders, vehicle structure integrity, lane departure warning systems, stability control, advanced braking system as major parts of the General Safety Regulations. In addition, there is also the Pedestrian Protection Regulations which aims to protect pedestrians involved in a collision with a vehicle. It requires manufacturers to fit Brake Assist Systems into their vehicles to reduce the stopping distance and lower the speed of impact. It also requires them to make energy absorbing bonnets and front bumpers.

However the Commission has been looking to update these regulations and during their preparatory stage last year asked Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to come up with a list of new vehicle technologies that could be considered with a cost/benefit for each. This was open to stakeholder consultation that ECF also participated in (you can find our position paper here). This list has now been whittled down to 19 specific vehicle safety measures which should be put forward by the Commission later this year as a legislative proposal for the Parliament and Council to decide on.

Main measures that could have an effect on cycling

Active measures include:

• Intelligent Speed Assistance

Something we have been promoting and advocating for a long time. It is one of the most important for us which could help bring down vehicle speeds to legal levels. Most high end cars have some form of ISA, usually where the driver can be told when he is over the speed limit. However these systems can also either restrict the vehicle to the speed limit, or provide haptic feedback to the driver through a rattling steering wheel or ‘pushback’ on the accelerator to reduce speed. We see this as a major tool to reduce speed and saves lives on the roads. ISA received a high cost/benefit positive result in the report, and we would ask the commission to prioritise this in their proposal.

• Automatic Emergency Braking for Cyclists and Pedestrians

This technology automatically detects a pedestrian/cyclist and can initiate an emergency brake independent of the driver. Some versions are already available on the market for some high end vehicles, and again this is recommended in the report to be mandatory on all new vehicles. We have AEB for cars already and crude systems for pedestrians and cyclists but again this could be revolutionary for reducing crashes, fatalities and serious injuries.

Passive measures include:

• Alcohol Interlock Devices

Another great technological development that can make vehicles (and drivers), drivers have to provide a negative breath test in order to start the vehicle. However the report recommends only that manufacturers supply device installers with model-specific instructions, there is no actual fitment or even a standardised connection point.

• head impact protection on A-pillars and front windscreen

The Pedestrian Protection Regulations are designed to protect pedestrians if in the event of a crash they are hit by the bonnet, it is assumed that it is the same for cyclists and so they are not included in the testing requirements. We commissioned AGU Zurich to look into this and they concluded that there is much evidence suggesting that cyclists do not hit cars in the same way as pedestrians. We would like to see this regulation improved to include an increased wraparound distance of cyclists which results in a larger head impact area. This would require extending the impact test zone to the upper windscreen area including A-pillars and the roof. You can see the full study here. Much of this has been included in the report as well.

• HGVs and lorries

Again another issue that we have been working on for a long time. The report does recommend standards for direct vision for all vehicles not just cars. We have been calling for this for a while. Lorries need to have lower cabs, better wrap around vision and better side vision. Underrun protection is viewed as a potential life saver, but an interesting point raised in the report is that underrun protection is exempt for ‘off-road’ vehicles like construction lorries. But this is rarely necessary with most of these vehicles spending their time on-road! This exemption has been questioned in the report and is something we also support.

All in all there are some really exciting and positive initiatives coming out of this report which could have a major effect and bring about a genuine revolution in road safety. Vehicles that conform to speed limits, that overcome driver distraction and mistakes by stopping automatically, lorries that have low cabs and clear wrap around vision would be like cyclists receiving all their Christmas presents at the same time. However the devil will lie in the detail and we have a long way to go until these vehicles are on the road. Lead-in times will be a big discussion point in particular, as will HGV/lorry cab design.

However one of the things on our side is the championing of ‘autonomous vehicles’ by European Commission, Member States and industry alike. ISA and AEB are necessary components of autonomous driving and as long as the industry calls for autonomous vehicles we see this as also giving the green light to ISA/AEB. Many are already available in high end vehicles, we want them in vehicles across the board.

The Commission will produce a legislative proposal sometime later this year and then we will go through the merry dance between European Parliament and the Member States of the Council. ECF will be fully committed and involved, we will keep you updated of how things are progressing and also how you can help!