The Traffic and Mobility Working Group deals with both active and passive safety issues related to road traffic, as well as sustainability and user-friendliness of mobility innovations.
Work areas:
1) Child Restraint Systems (CRS)
During a car accident, Child Restraint Systems, when correctly installed, can reduce child mortality by 75% and the number of seriously injured children by 67%. However, several studies show that 50-70% of child restraints are not properly installed.
The results of the ANEC technical study, evaluating the limits of protection offered by both forward and rearward-facing restraints for children up to four years of age, have confirmed the important gap between the technical conclusions based on accident and test data, and the advice actually provided to consumers through legislation.
At present, the two international regulations addressing the development of child restraints in Europe are: UN-ECE Regulation 44, and the new Regulation 129 (R 129).
ANEC has been participating under the umbrella of Consumers International (CI) in the development of the Enhanced Child Restraint System (ECRS) Regulation. ANEC has also been working on the issue related to children left in cars within the Working Party on Passive Safety (GRSP).
ANEC also participates in the work of GRSP Informal Working Group on Safer Transport of Children in Buses and Coaches.
2) Bicycles
Cyclists are vulnerable road users. It is therefore important when developing transport and safety policies to also look at improving the cyclists’ conditions i.e., the infrastructure and driver awareness, as well as their protection. Structural safety of child transport systems for bicycles, standards for bicycles as well as related equipment, and infrastructure are of particular concern to ANEC.
In view of contributing to the improvement of bicycles’ standards, including EPACs (Electrically Power Assisted Cycles), ANEC participates in the relevant Technical Committees at European level (CEN TC 333 ‘Cycles’ and relevant Working Groups) and at international level (ISO TC 149 SC 1 ‘Cycles and major sub-assemblies’ and relevant Working Groups).
3) Electric vehicles
With the electric car market growing, more and more manufacturers have started to add electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to their ranges. If these vehicles - able to contribute to the European target for reducing CO2 emissions - are to become mainstream, it is essential they come with the proper infra-structure to build consumer’s confidence.
This infrastructure must include equipment allowing the recharging of batteries in an efficient, user friendly and safe way. The charging at domestic socket outlet at homes should be made possible. It is also important to ensure the interoperability of plugs and sockets and lastly billing process.
Several standards are under development, and are being monitored by ANEC in the eMobility Coordination Group and CEN TC 301 ’Road vehicles’. In parallel, a labelling standard for the recharging of electric vehicles at recharging points has been published.
ANEC also follows work on ‘Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) and self-balancing vehicles’, e.g. segways, scooters (without seating position), hoverboards.
ANEC is represented in the relevant Technical Committees to advocate the consumer view.
4) Safety & emissions of motor vehicles
ANEC welcomes and supports measures intended to reduce emissions from vehicles or to increase their energy efficiency. However, the achievement of such measures should not be taken at the expense of safety or of ‘closed shopping’ for consumers.
ANEC monitors the developments in UNECE WP 29 of the GTR on Global Real Driving Emissions (GRDE). ANEC also participates in the European Commission’s Motor Vehicle Emissions Group (MVEG) to monitor developments on the revision of the cars/CO2 labelling Directive 1999/94/EC,and ensures that the information provided to consumers on fuel economy and emissions of new cars is clear.
ANEC has also been working in the CEN-CENELEC Joint Working Group ‘Fuel labelling’ to develop (a) European standard(s) on fuel labelling.
ANEC continued to monitor developments regarding tyre labelling and will monitor developments and research concerning tyre performances.
5) Intelligent Transport Systems
Car manufacturers increasingly incorporate high-tech electronic solutions to make driving experiences more comfortable, easier or safer. More and more systems assist and sometimes overrule the driver. But there is often insufficient coherence among the different systems that could potentially lead to a risk of confusion or distraction from the driver or even unforeseen misuse. In many cases there is no prior research available on the safety impact of these new technologies. These technological improvements bring about not only technical issues but also legal issues in terms of liability, which need to be monitored, and traditional standardisation processes cannot always keep up the pace.
The Traffic and Mobility WG participates in CEN TC 278 ‘Intelligent Transport Systems’ and UNECE WP 29 to monitor issues of consumer concern.
ANEC supports the revision of the ITS Directive and the EC’s wish to accelerate deployment of ITS with the aim to have more efficient, safer, and more sustainable mobility. We believe ITS should pay special attention to new means of mobility, modes and services (including personal mobility devices/options). The harmonisation of data formats is needed, allowing infrastructure and means of road transport to communicate while speaking the same language and thus improving safety and environment.
As ITS will handle personal data of travellers, consumers should actively give their consent (opt-in) and systems should be designed for this. Hence, consumers need to be recognised as stakeholders in the process.
6) Cross-sector issues
The Traffic and Mobility WG works on a selection of consumer issues in collaboration with other ANEC WGs. The use of CRS outside the car, children forgotten in cars, standards for bicycles as well as related equipment and infrastructure, are being jointly monitored with the Child Safety WG. The Traffic and Mobility WG is furthermore monitoring 'silent cars' with the Accessibility WG. And finally, car emissions and CO2 labelling of cars is monitored jointly with the Sustainability WG. With growing work in CCAM (Cooperative, Connected, Automated and Autonomous Mobility), the T&M WG also works with the Digital Society WG.
7) Issues to monitor
From a consumer perspective, it is also important to offer a certain level of protection to all car occupants. Thus, the WG monitors car frontal crash compatibility, safety of pedestrians, safety in coaches and minibuses, head restraints, crash protection of women, older people and small sized car occupants. Additionally, the WG monitors road vehicles maintenance and repair information.
8) Project Team: Sustainable and smart mobility
ANEC welcomed the EC’s ‘Strategy for sustainable and smart mobility’, released on 9 December 2020. Our Project Team on Smart Mobility & Sustainable Transport was created early 2020 and has been meeting twice a yearto discuss consumer relevant issues that will contribute to fulfil the objectives of the Green Deal. Standards can help achieve the policy goals outlined in the Green Deal in various ways, such as to clarify commonly accepted definitions, provide methods for measuring and testing, as well as ensuring open markets for the safe use of new technologies.
Our approach is to prioritise user and consumer safety and needs where accessibility and usability of the transport infrastructure must be guaranteed. In doing so, this supports the transition to sustainable and safe connected, cooperative and automated (CCAM) vehicle concepts, and personal micro-mobility options such as e-scooters, e-bikes and cargo bikes, covering door-to-door mobility.
Please contact Clara Ouvrier (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) if you are interested in joining the PT.
Activities in the European & international standards bodies and the Forum for Vehicle Regulations under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE):
ANEC is represented in, or monitors, the work of various Technical Committees dealing with traffic and mobility at the European and international levels, as well as forum and expert groups at UNECE (under the umbrella of Consumers International), and European Commission Committees.
- CEN TC 158 WG 15 'Helmets for S-EPAC users’
- CEN TC 252 WG 7 ‘Child cycle seats'
- CEN TC 278 'Intelligent Transport Systems'
- CEN TC 278 WG 15 'eSafety'
- CEN TC 278 WG 17 ‘Mobility Integration'
- CEN TC 301 'Road vehicles'
- CEN TC 301 WG 18 ‘Electric Vehicle Batteries’
- CEN TC 333 'Bicycles'
- CEN TC 333 WG 1 'Bicycle trailers'
- CEN TC 333 WG 5 ' Electrically Power Assisted Cycles’
- CEN TC 333 WG 9 'Cargo bikes'
- CEN TC 354 WG 4 ‘Personal Light electric vehicles and self-balancing vehicles’
- CEN TC 441 ‘Fuel labelling’
- CEN/CENELEC eMobility Coordination Group
- ISO TC 149 SC 1 'Cycles and major sub-assemblies'
- ISO TC 149 SC 1 WG 13 ‘Continuous improvement of the standards EN ISO 4210 and EN ISO 8098’
- ISO TC 149 SC 1 WG 10 ‘Lighting and retro-reflective devices’
- ISO TC 149 SC 1 WG 15 ‘Electrically Power Assisted Cycles’
- UNECE - WP29 - World Forum for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (through CI)
- UNECE - GRSP - Working Party on Passive Safety (through CI)
- UNECE - GRSP Informal group on Enhanced Child Restraint Systems (through CI)
- Motor Vehicles Working Group
- Motor Vehicles Emissions Group
- Motor Vehicles Working Group, sub-group on Driver Behaviour Assessment System (DBAS)
- Connected, cooperative and automated mobility in Europe (CAM) European Commission Expert platform
News
Raising awareness on potential dangers of sleep bags in car seats
As one of the most vulnerable road users, children require extra protection when they are transported in vehicles and caretakers often want to give them as much comfort as possible. Many products have appeared on the market to enhance children safety and make parents’ life easier. Sleep bags for children car seats is one of these products. It consists of a sleep bag with openings that allow the child to be fastened with the car seat harness. The child can then be transported from- and to the car while sleeping.
Beyond these practical aspects, we are concerned about the risks that such products could pose, as the combination of car seat and sleep bag is not tested or standardized by either textile or car seat manufacturers. Car seats tests with dummies wearing thick jackets showed the danger of bulky clothing during crashes. Sleep bags have similar characteristics as winter coats and could pose the same threat to children, next to dangers of overheating.
The ANEC representative raised this issue in a meeting of the CEN TC 248 WG 34 “Risks in the sleeping environment”. We were happy to see that group accepted ANEC’s proposal to not allow openings for a car seat harness in the sleep bag, thus avoiding potential threats due to misuse.
Traffic & Mobility WG meets
The Traffic & Mobility WG met virtually on 27 & 28 June. Our experts reviewed achievements and upcoming challenges in standardisation work in the fields of automated and connected mobility, pedestrian protection, protection of children in vehicles, cycling and more.
Detailed discussions were held on the topic of children left in cars, and the safe transportation of children in buses and coaches, as well as on the use of sleep bags in combination with child car seats. The WG received updates on bicycles & EPACs, Intelligent Transport Systems, and batteries. Members also had the opportunity to share national news, such as an upcoming project on second-hand child car seats in Portugal, and the results of a study on bicycle seats and helmets in the Netherlands.
Towards decarbonising European roads
On 8 June, the European Parliament took a historical step by voting to phase out new cars and vans with internal combustion engines by 2035. In practice, manufacturers will have to cut the average fleet emissions for new cars and vans progressively (15% by 2025 and 55% by 2035, compared with 2021), until these vehicles reach zero net emissions by 2035.
ANEC has been following this key legislation from the Fit for 55 Package, as it represents a notable step forward for the climate and consumers. A study conducted by BEUC has shown that electric cars are already the most financially-interesting option for many consumers. Ramping up the production of electric vehicles in order to reach zero emissions by 2035 will make them more affordable for more drivers in Europe, which in turn will aid governments fulfil their climate pledges. Consumers will also benefit from an improved air quality which will reduce health-related problems that affect thousands of Europeans every year.
See our position paper, ‘Sustainable transport and mobility in the context of European standards’ for an in-depth review of this topic (https://bit.ly/39rDbTE).
Link to our newsletter article (https://bit.ly/3sMG9bk).
Publications
To access position papers related to Traffic & Mobility please click the following link, Position papers.
