PRIORITIES FOR EU MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY DESIGN

enable a further review of the Directive to be made to enable the higher speeds of impact
in accidents to be addressed.
e) Urgent consideration needs to be given to instrumenting all the load paths into the
EuroSID dummy and developing criteria for them.
f) In any future side impact dummy, all possible load paths need to be instrumented by
design.
g) When the EEVC research is complete, a single design specification of barrier face
should be specified in the Directive. This barrier face must be capable of being
manufactured to the same standard of performance by competing suppliers around the
world.
h) A pole impact test is required to evaluate head protection in side impact. Consideration
should be given to the development of a test to simulate accidents involving impacts with
poles. This would require research into the levels of protection possible.
3. Improving car to car compatibility
a) Compatibility is seen as the next major step forward in improving car occupant safety.
Further developments of frontal impact protection need to be considered in association
with compatibility and this is seen as a top priority for vehicle safety research.
4. Improving seat belt use
a) The fitment of effective seat belt reminder systems is seen as a high priority for early
action.
b) EuroNCAP can provide an immediate incentive for manufacturers to develop and install
simple effective seat belt reminder systems and then to continue to develop more
advanced ones.
c) When effective seat belt reminder systems become available, consideration should be
given to enacting legislation for their mandatory fitment.
5. Frontal protection front air bags
a) Driver airbags should be fitted universally.
b) Where passenger airbags are fitted, clear instructions are needed to avoid the fitment of
rearward facing child restraints on the seat.
c) The provision of automatic detection of child restraints and out of position occupants is
needed to switch off the passenger airbag.
d) If manual switches are provided, an effective warning about their setting needs to be
incorporated.
6. Side protection air bags
a) With the growing number of side airbags fitted in cars, accident research is needed to
identify their benefits and any associated problems.
7. Restraint of children in cars
a) Children in cars should be provided with suitable child restraints for their age and size.
b) The use of rearward facing restraints provides the best protection and should be used up
to as high an age as possible.
c) Further research is needed to assess the effects of modern car designs to identify
necessary changes for restraint design and regulatory tests.
d) A mandatory side impact test procedure is required to assess child restraints for all age
groups of children.
e) The fitting of ISOFIX anchorages, with provision for an effective third restraint in the front
and rear seats should be made mandatory.
f) ECE R44 should be developed to assess universal ISOFIX seats, with effective third
restraints.
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