Technical requirements for the frontal protection systems of motor vehicles are laid down with the aim of improving the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users in the event of a collision with a vehicle equipped with such a system.

Directive 2005/66/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2005 relating to the use of frontal protection systems on motor vehicles and amending Council Directive 70/156/EEC.

Frontal protection systems or "bull bars", which are increasingly common and present an increased safety risk to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, must now meet certain technical requirements.

The improvement of the frontal structures of vehicles actually helps to considerably attenuate the severity of injuries to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, particularly if the vehicle is moving at reduced speed (under 40 km/h) at the time of collision.

The vehicles covered by the Directive are passenger cars and light commercial vehicles (category M1 and N1 vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes).

The technical requirements of the Directive apply not only to frontal protection systems fitted to a vehicle as original equipment but also to systems supplied as separate technical units.

The Directive lays down technical requirements for the testing, construction and installation of frontal protection systems. These requirements form part of the Community type-approval procedure established by Directive 70/156/EEC.

These provisions apply from 25 November 2006 to new types of vehicles as well as to new types of frontal protection systems supplied as separate technical units.

As of 25 May 2007, they will apply to all new vehicles and all frontal protection systems available as separate technical units.

By 25 August 2010 at the latest, the Commission will re-examine these provisions in the light of technical progress and experience gained.

The technical requirements laid down for frontal protection systems are part of the recent focus on the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users, particularly under Directive 2003/102/EC relating to the protection of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users before and in the event of a collision with a motor vehicle. Road safety measures have thus been extended beyond the protection of only the occupants of vehicles.

The technical requirements laid down for frontal protection systems help to achieve the objective set by the European Commission in its European Road Safety Action Programme to halve the number of road accident victims by 2010.

References

Act	Entry into force - Date of expiry	Deadline for transposition in the Member States	Official Journal
Directive 2005/66/EC	15.12.2005	25.08.2006	OJ L 309 of 25.11.2005