Revision of the EU General Safety Regulation

“The EU’s updated General Safety Regulations requires manufacturers to equip their vehicles with advanced safety features and focuses on vulnerable road users for the first time. While the industry welcomes more stringent and relevant road safety regulations, this has created new challenges for vehicle and systems developers.“

Nils Siebert

Senior Expert ”Truck and Bus” within TÜV SÜD´s Technical Service

More protection for people and the environment from 2022

To keep pace with technological advances, regulators around the world are updating vehicle safety requirements. This includes the EU, which has revised its General Safety Regulation with Regulation 2019/2144, hereafter referred to as “GSR II”.

GSR II was adopted in late 2019, making certain vehicle safety features and technologies mandatory in all new road vehicles by 6th July 2022. The revised regulation introduces a raft of changes and brings into scope many new requirements, this includes a focus on vulnerable road users, such as cyclists or pedestrians, for the first time. It also helps pave the way for connected and autonomous driving.

NEW REQUIRED VEHICLE SAFETY FEATURES ACCORDING TO GSR II

Over the next seven years we will also see the introduction of new UNECE regulations for vehicles entering UNECE participating countries, as well as scope extensions of existing UNECE regulations. Mandatory fitment of innovative features will also be required, for which new regulations will need to be developed.

New regulatory approach introduced with the GSR II

GSR II transfers the responsibility for legislation with respect of certain approval subjects from the European Parliament and the Council (ordinary legislation bodies) to the European Commission.

For example, subjects that the European Parliament and the Council are responsible for include, amongst others, the definition of approval subjects, such as braking and emissions. It is also responsible for the specification of technical requirements, such as 540/2014 (sound level of motor vehicles and of replacement silencing systems) and general requirements, such as 715/2007 (emissions from light passenger and commercial vehicles, and access to vehicle repair and maintenance information).

Responsibility has been transferred to the European Commission for the specification of technical requirements to subjects relating to the general safety of vehicles. For example, this includes the enactment of delegated acts with technical requirements such as 2021/1958 (test procedures and technical requirements for the type-approval of motor vehicles with regard to their intelligent speed assistance systems). The European Commission must also detail the applicability of relevant UN Regulations.

A NEW APPROACH FOR THE CORRELATION BETWEEN LEGAL ACTS IN THE EU TYPE APPROVAL SYSTEMS

Mandatory safety features for motor vehicles from 2022

GSR II covers all motor vehicles (including passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, buses, trucks and trailers), with different implementation dates set for the adoption of different safety features for each of these categories. The date of application of GSR II for all new vehicle types (for homologation) is planned for 6th July 2022, however, the effective date may vary by regulation / vehicle type. After two years, the new regulation will then become mandatory for all vehicles, as well as for existing vehicles (for registration).

Overall, GSR II sets out requirements to advanced vehicle systems applicable for all motor vehicle categories to be equipped with a number of safety features:

• Advanced driver distraction warning

• Alcohol interlock installation facilitation

• Driver drowsiness and attention warning

• Emergency stop signal

• Event data recorder

• Intelligent speed assistance (ISA)

• Reversing detection

• Advanced emergency braking systems (AEBS) for M1 and N1 category vehicles

• Blind spot information systems and pedestrian / cyclist collision warning systems for M2, M3, N2 and N3 category vehicles

• Emergency lane keeping systems for M1 and N1 category vehicles

• Tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) for all vehicle categories

• Enlarged pedestrian protection head impact protection zone for M1 and N1 category vehicles

In preparation for the introduction of autonomous/automated vehicles, GSR II also specifies the fitment of the following features/systems to such vehicles:

• Systems to replace the driver’s control of the vehicle, including signalling, steering, accelerating, and braking

• Systems to provide the vehicle with real-time information on the state of the vehicle and the surrounding area

• Driver availability monitoring systems

• Systems to provide safety information to other road users

• Event data recorders for automated vehicles

• Harmonised format for the exchange of data, for example, multi-brand vehicle platooning

To minimise costs and time-to-market, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are advised to consider these new regulations early on in their product development phase. As they must now ensure that vehicles are equipped with all mandatory safety functions, this could require extended production times and longer testing periods for conformity with GSR II.

How TÜV SÜD is contributing to a safer future

TÜV SÜD is ready to support you in ensuring conformity of your vehicles with all new requirements of GSR II. As your expert partner we offer technical advice to help you in correctly understanding the new requirements, various testing services for all requested components and vehicle type approval to bring your vehicles successfully to the road. As Designated Body for any kind of testing pursuant to EU respective UN-Regulations relating to road approval, we are well prepared to support you in the best way possible.

As an experienced homologation expert, TÜV SÜD supports its customers to ensure that their systems like intelligent speed assistance systems (ISA), alcohol interlock installation, driver drowsiness and attention warning or the event data recorder, which are on the GSR list, are homologated always according to the recent up-to-date regulations.

As we are also designated by Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA), among others, as a Technical Service for cybersecurity and software updates in motor vehicles, our expertise also extends to UNECE Regulations R155 (cybersecurity) and R156 (software updates). This means that we perform management system audits, and assess and test vehicle types which leads to comprehensive reports on which KBA bases its type approval.

Get in contact with us to learn more

Sources:

Europe on the Move: Safer Vehicles on EU Roads from 2022
InterRegs Spotlight: New EU General Safety Regulation Published
European Commission (europa.eu)