The European Commission is being urged by a coalition of industry and consumer groups, NGOs and cities to bring forward new minimum safety standards for cars, vans and trucks as a matter of urgency. Groups including the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA), the European Cyclists Federation (ECF), POLIS, the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) and Transport & Environment (T&E) have signed a letter to the Commission suggesting that new minimum safety standards for vehicles are 'absolutely criticalî to limiting the amount of deaths and injuries on European roads. The request follows years of delays, with new requirements highly anticipated during the last three years. However, the latest announcement from the European Commission's Motor Vehicle Working Group has put discussion of the proposals back to March 2018. The last time EU vehicle safety standards were updated was eight years ago, despite significant technological advances since that time. The coalition is concerned about consumers being misled about the safety of new vehicles. This is due to the fact new cars which meet the minimum legal safety standards would fail many contemporary trials carried about companies such as Euro NCAP, a consumer testing organisation. Furthermore, there is no equivalent test for large vans and lorries. Last year, the Commission published a list of 19 safety technologies it is considering to make compulsory which the groups say should be turned into a formal legal proposal. Some technologies include Automated Emergency Braking, for instance, or Intelligent Speed Assistance _ a system designed to help drivers adhere to speed limits. The Commission is also considering altering direct vision requirements in trucks, so that motorists can see cyclists, pedestrians and obstacles and prevent potential collisions more easily. Improvements to vehicle safety standards were overwhelmingly backed by EU member states' transport ministers in March, declaring that the Commission should 'accelerate' work on new minimum requirements. The European Parliament also adopted a resolution on the 18th May, calling upon the Commission to update vehicle safety regulations 'without delayî. According to official data published in March, road collisions contributed to 25,000 deaths in Europe in 2016, a figure which has barely changed during the last three years.
