Photo credits @ Trans.iNFO (illustrative purposes)

Trucks will soon be built differently. Check what additional equipment they will get.

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Safer vehicles on safer roads in the EU. This is the goal that politicians in Brussels have set themselves. Last week, the Council of the EU adopted a regulation on road safety.

From mid-2022, all new vehicles in the European Union will have to be fitted with advanced safety systems. On 8 November, the EU Council adopted a regulation on the general safety of motor vehicles and the protection of occupants and vulnerable road users.

Brussels hopes that the new rules and mandatory equipment will significantly reduce the number of road fatalities.

Ten years after the adoption of the previous regulations on this subject, the new regulation is intended to give impetus to EU action in the field of road safety. 

It (the road safety regulation – editorial note) addresses for the first time concerns about vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists,” explained Finnish Employment Minister Timo Harakka in an official EU Council Communication. 

Under the new rules, all motor vehicles (including trucks, buses, vans and SUVs) will have to be equipped with the following safety features:

– smart speed adjustment

– facilitated installation of alcohol interlocks

– warning systems to monitor sleepiness and driver attention

– advanced driver distraction detection systems

– emergency stop signals

– systems detecting objects when reversing

– event data recorders

– tyre pressure monitoring systems

In addition, passenger cars and light commercial vehicles will need to have additional advanced safety features, such as:

– advanced emergency braking systems

– lane support systems in emergency situations

– increased head protection zones that can reduce injuries from collisions with vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists.

Trucks and buses, on the other hand, will have to be designed and constructed in such a way as to significantly reduce blind spots around the vehicle. They will also need to be equipped with advanced detection systems for pedestrians and cyclists in the vicinity, as the Council of the EU has informed.

The regulation will enter into force 30 months after its adoption. Some provisions on safety components will apply at a later date so that automotive manufacturers can adapt to the new requirements.

Photo: Trans.INFO

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