Mr Fu Bingfeng
President
International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers
4 rue de Berri
75008 Paris
27th October 2021
Dear Mr Fu
Re: UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030
As you will know the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 is being officially launched today together with a new Global Plan. The Plan includes strong recommendations on vehicle safety (see page 13 & Box 3 - attached) as part of an inclusive ‘safe systems’ approach. Global NCAP warmly welcomes the new Decade and Plan. We hope that OICA shares our support for this vitally important effort to halve road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
In October 2019 OICA’s Manifesto for Global Road Safety was a significant initiative from the automotive industry. However, as explained in our letter (dated 13th November 2019) to your predecessor as OICA Chairman, Mr Christian Peugeot, we felt that the proposed lead times for regulatory action on key vehicle safety standards were far too long. For example, the Manifesto proposed 36 months for front and side impact and 60 months for electronic stability control. This timescale was very unambitious, following no more than existing market trends and fitment rates.
Two years later, with a new Decade of Action and Global Plan launched, OICA’s Manifesto is now outdated. I would, therefore, respectfully suggest that OICA should revise the Manifesto and your proposed standards road map. We believe that OICA and the automotive industry should make a firm commitment to support the Global Plan, its vehicle safety recommendations, and the related Global Road Safety Performance Target for Vehicles (Number 5). This states that, “By 2030, 100% of new (defined as produced, sold or imported) and used vehicles meet high quality safety standards, such as the recommended priority UN Regulations, Global Technical Regulations, or equivalent recognized national performance requirements”.
In order to meet this target we would encourage OICA and the automotive industry to make a voluntary commitment to achieve universal compliance in 2022 for all new vehicles with the most important UN safety standards. In our view this should include UN regulations for seat belts & anchorages, front & side impact, pedestrian protection, child restraints, and electronic stability control. Such a commitment would be a long overdue response to the proposal made by Mr Jean Todt, the UN Secretary General’s Envoy for Road Safety, for an industry self-commitment on minimum standards submitted to the 170th Meeting of the World Forum for Harmonisation of Vehicle Regulations in November 2016.
At the launch in 2019 of OICA’s Manifesto Mr Todt called on the manufacturers “to go further by anticipating as much as possible the implementation of these legislative obligations”. We whole heartedly agree and would urge OICA to respond positively to the Special Envoy’s advice which is just as relevant today as it was two years ago.
Next July the UN General Assembly will host a special High Level Meeting on Global Road Safety. This would be an ideal platform for OICA to announce a revised and updated Manifesto including an ambitious voluntary commitment to meet the most important UN vehicle safety standards. What better way could there be for the automotive industry to demonstrate more ambition and stronger leadership on vehicle safety? Global NCAP very much hopes that OICA will respond to this important opportunity to contribute to the new UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.
Yours sincerely
David Ward
President
YOUTUBE
