THE requirement to fit seat belts in commercial vehicles should be in force by the end of this year, the European Commission said yesterday.
The Commission welcomed the European Parliament’s decision to adopt three directives on the mandatory fitting of seat belts.
Initially applied to all new vehicle types, the new directive will be extended to new vehicles of types already in production.
“This measure, applying to all commercial vehicles and in particular tourist coaches and minibuses, will have, in conjunction with the obligation to wear seat belts, a major effect on the dramatic figures seen in Europe in recent years,” the Commission said.
Günter Verheugen, the Commissioner for Enterprise and Industry, said the decision was significant. “The adoption of these directives is enormously important in the Commission’s fight to reduce the number of road accident victims. This decisions will provide for a uniform legal framework for the European manufacturers, by doing away with diverging national laws,” he said.
As a result of the decision, the requirement to fit seat belts will apply to two million commercial vehicles annually. These include in particular tourist coaches,
The use of safety belts has been mandatory in passenger cars and light duty trucks but only at the front, but all cars placed on the market since January 1998, some than 15 million vehicles, have had to have safety belts fitted on all seats.
With the new directive the use of safety belts will become mandatory in all vehicles where a safety belt has been fitted. Even if some Member States have already transposed the Directive, the obligation concerning use must be in place in May 2006 at the latest.
This decision closes the last remaining gap, making the fitting of safety belts in utility vehicles obligatory. From 2006, the use and fitting of safety belts will be mandatory in all commercial vehicles, including coaches.
The adopted measures include the requirement that seats undergo resistance and energy-dissipation testing in order to ensure maximum protection for passengers in all accident situations.
