In an industry that thrives on acronyms, news that Australia has agreed to jadopt the Global Technical Regualtion for Electronic
In an industry that thrives on acronyms, news that Australia has agreed to jadopt the Global Technical Regualtion for Electronic Stability Control should be welcomed by consumers.
The decision paves the way for a single type of stability control to be developed and then marketed to all manufacturers, regardless of where they are based.
International research has found this technology has the potential to be the greatest innovation since the seatbelt in saving lives and making our roads significantly safer.
Research undertaken for the British Government found vehicles equipped with ESC are 25 percent less likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those without it.
According to the US Department of Transportation, this technology, when fully deployed, could save up to 9,600 lives annually, and from 2011, ESC will be required on all new passenger vehicles sold in the United States.
The new Global Technical Regulation opens the way for a detailed examination of the case for mandating ESC in Australia through the development of an Australian Design Rule (ADR).
Within weeks, a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) assessing the potential ramifications for industry and the wider community of an ESC mandate will be released for public consultation.
The RIS will look at a range of issues including whether the goal of safer vehicles can be achieved via non-regulatory means.
Although many heavy vehicle manufacturers already offer ESC, each system works to its own parameters, rather than a set of standardised outcomes.
By having a mandated standard, unit costs can also be reduced, because every vehicle would have to have ESC fitted, rather than on a voluntary basis as is the case now.
The World Forum is a United Nations (UN) body charged with administering the 1958 Agreement on the Adoption of Uniform Technical Prescriptions for Vehicles and the 1998 “Global Agreement” on Global Technical Regulations for Wheeled Vehicles, Equipment and Parts.
Currently, fifty countries, as well as car manufacturers, consumers and road users, participate in its deliberations.
Over the last half century, the 1958 Agreement has put in place 127 Regulations which are regularly updated in accordance with the latest technological progress and scientific breakthroughs.
The World Forum is currently working on GTRs for hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicles, as well as measures to improve the testing and reporting of engine efficiency and reduce harmful exhaust emissions.
By agreeing on the ESC regulation, it is to be hoped the Federal Government will be equally supportive of the fuel cell regulations, which will allow Australian operators to access many years of research by manufacturers around the world.