The first Bus and Coach Transport Symposium organized by INSIA, held on October 3rd in the Community of Madrid, brought together industry specialists. Grupo Castrosua was present in the round table on safety, represented by our homologation manager Agustín Gómez Pereira. This table focused the debate on the evolution of safety and the new European regulation that will govern all aspects of motor vehicles.
The event’s theme, “Towards the triple zero vision: Zero Emissions, Zero Accident Victims, Zero Barriers,” aimed to highlight the evolution of safety in collective passenger transport in Spain and towards the European regulatory framework, which includes advanced requirements and functions for both general vehicles and buses in particular.
Safety in collective passenger transport is not escaping the technological change occurring in various sectors of society, and in recent years, safety has improved significantly.
However, in some European Union member countries, an increase in the number of victims has been observed. The new EU safety regulation aims to address this problem.
Safety Regulations in Passenger Transport
The regulatory framework developed with the new Safety Regulation aims to harmonize safety approvals for vehicles, and this naturally extends to collective passenger transport vehicles.
On one hand, we have the general guidelines for approvals with European Directive 2007/46, where the EU creates a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers, systems, components, and separate technical units, leaving it to each member state to develop its own laws on how to achieve the directive’s objective.
On the other hand, the legislation is governed by Royal Decree 750/2010, of June 4th, which regulates the approval procedures for motor vehicles and their trailers, self-propelled or towed machinery, agricultural vehicles, etc.
Currently, there are 36 regulatory acts from various European and national authorities that aim to legislate the safety of collective passenger transport as binding and specific legislative acts.
We can differentiate four major blocks within this legislation:
- Regulations related to active safety, concerning brakes, steering, acoustic warnings, wheels, mirrors, speedometer, etc.
- Regulations related to passive safety, concerning seatbelts, seats, tanks, rear protection, flammability, structural integrity…
- Regulations related to the environment, concerning emissions, noise, compatibility, or exhaust fumes of buses.
- Other types of regulations, such as the installation of lights, license plates, masses and dimensions, controls, towing, anti-theft systems, heating, power, types of CNG, LPG, electric, and hydrogen vehicles…
This means designing buses considering a large number of different regulations, which the new European Union safety regulation aims to harmonize.
Towards Advanced Safety Features
We have seen the various regulations governing aspects of bus construction and design, but we must consider that the new European Union safety regulation aims to establish vehicle approval requirements by focusing on promoting safety in different areas:
- Restraint systems, collision tests, fuel system integrity, and high-voltage electrical safety.
- Pedestrians, cyclists, vision, and visibility.
- Vehicle bodywork, brakes, tires, and steering.
- On-board instruments, electrical system, vehicle lighting, and protection against unauthorized use, including cyberattacks.
- Driver and system behavior.
- General construction and characteristics of vehicles.
Among the advanced safety features that vehicles must incorporate according to this new regulation, we can differentiate, on one hand, advanced systems for motor vehicles in any category, and on the other hand, those that specifically concern us as manufacturers, such as those related to buses.
Regarding advanced motor vehicle systems, it is noteworthy that they must be equipped with intelligent speed assistants, an interface for installing start-blocking alcohol interlocks, a system for monitoring driver drowsiness and attention with advanced distraction recognition, and additionally, an emergency braking signal and a reversing detector.
As for specific requirements for buses, in addition to the current ones that must be met for Class III and B vehicles, such as the lane departure warning system and the advanced emergency braking system, according to the new regulation, they must be equipped with a lane-keeping system that acts on the steering if the vehicle deviates from its lane. Furthermore, buses must be equipped with systems capable of detecting vulnerable road users in close proximity to the front, rear, or sides of the vehicle and issuing a warning or avoiding collisions with these users, such as pedestrians or cyclists.
To complete the safety requirements, the new regulation also includes obligations to improve direct visibility of vulnerable road users from the driver’s seat and accessibility for people with reduced mobility.
These are aspects that technology currently allows, and their widespread use will represent a significant advancement in the measures that manufacturers must adopt to equip our buses with the best safety systems, both for the driver and passengers, and for everyone who shares the road with our vehicles.
As we have seen, the new regulatory framework will drive the evolution of safety in collective road passenger transport in various areas, making buses safer, more accessible, and more environmentally friendly. Would you like to know more about this new safety regulation? Let us know in the comments!
