update on braking regulations (PDF) - Road Safety Authority

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The Authority now believes that the proposed amendments to legislation can beforwarded to the Department of Transport with a view to being signed by theMinister. In Appendix 1 that follows, more details of these final proposals withemphasis on the effect of the addition of the inclusion of trailers within the scope ofthe proposals can be found.Yours sincerely,Tom McHalePrincipal EngineerHead of Vehicle Standards
Appendix:Detail of Final ProposalsProposed Amendments to the CE&U RegulationsPost registration, all vehicles on Irish roads must comply with the Construction,Equipment, and Use Regulations (“CE&U Regulations”). It is proposed that theseRegulations are amended as follows;1. It is proposed that vehicles including trailers first registered after theintroduction of the Regulations shall comply with the essential construction,fitting and performance requirements of either the EC braking directive(71/320/EEC as amended by 98/12/EC) or the UN/ECE braking regulations (ECE13.09 or ECE 13H). These requirements will apply to all vehicles of categoriesM, N and O. Under the current Construction & Use of Vehicles Regulations2003 2 , only certain categories of Heavy Good Vehicles (HGVs) are required tobe fitted with ABS. If the RSA’s proposal is adopted, all buses, trucks 3 andgoods trailers 3 first registered after the introduction of these regulations willbe required to have ABS (or EBS) fitted and that these systems are maintainedthroughout the lifetime of the vehicle. Accordingly, N1 (light goods) vehiclesconverted to M2 (e.g. minibus) after the introduction of the Regulations mustbe equipped with ABS after the conversion has been carried out. A furthereffect of the legislation will be to outlaw items such as shut-off devices whichare not automatically actuated, and manually adjusted slack adjusters forvehicles registered after the introduction of the regulations.2. Incompatible combinations of towing vehicles and their trailers create aserious safety implication for the effectiveness of brakes. For example, wherethe braking system in an old tractor unit is not compatible with a new trailerthere may be insufficient power for the braking devices of the trailer, thusincreasing the likelihood of trailer swing. The Authority propose to:(a) strengthen the existing regulations to explicitly require compatibility ofbraking systems on the towing vehicle and their trailers; and(b) also mandate the use of the ISO 7638 connector 4 when installed on thetowing vehicle and trailer.These regulations will also apply to vehicles first used prior to the introductionof the legislation.3. Engineering advice is that if a vehicle has ABS fitted then it must bemaintained in working order because if the ABS is not working, thecharacteristic of the brakes is altered. Under the current requirements ofCE&U, braking devices shall be maintained in good and efficient working2 The Road Traffic (Construction and Use of Vehicles) Regulations, 2003 (S.I. No. 5 of 2003)3 With maximum mass in excess of 3.5tonnes4 The vast majority of Heavy Goods Vehicles operating within Ireland are equipped with an ISO 7638connector which provides the electrical connection between the towing and towed vehicles, serving brakingsystems and running gear
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Page 3: In addition, the proposed requireme

update on braking regulations (PDF) - Road Safety Authority

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