Vehicle regulation

Vehicle regulations are requirements that automobiles must satisfy in order to be approved for sale or use in a particular country or region. They are usually mandated by legislation, and administered by a government body. The regulations concern aspects such as lighting, controls, crashworthiness, environment protection and theft protection.

Government regulation in the automotive industry directly affects the way cars look, how their components are designed, the safety features that are included, and the overall performance of any given vehicle. As a result, these regulations also have a significant effect on the automotive business by generally increasing production costs while also placing limitations on how cars are sold and marketed. Automotive regulations are designed to benefit the consumer and protect the environment, and automakers can face stiff fines and other penalties if they are not followed.

— investopedia

History

Some countries have national regulations for a long time.

One of the first international agreement on vehicle regulation is the 1958 agreement, which first focused European countries.

The European Union played a role in harmonizing regulations between member states.

Later, the 1958 agreement was open to less European countries such as Japan, Korea or Australia.

Another international agreement, the 1998 agreement is known as global regulation.

Geographical regulations

• International
  • United Nations has a World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations related to three vehicle agreements.
    • 1998 agreement, global agreement including 38 countries: (Global Technical Regulations). In the parties are Japan, Australia, Korea, Russia, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, China, South Africa andthe USA.
    • 1958 agreement, regional agreement including 58 parties: ECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe). In the parties are Japan, Australia, Korea, Russia and the European Union and independent United Kingdom.
• Regional agreements and regulations
  • European Union is a single market with EEA with laws named EU directive or regulation EU regulations which make some UNECE regulations applicable at a given date in its 27 member states.
  • NAFTA makes Canada, the USA and Mexico to share some safety regulations[1].
• National
  • United States: FMVSS (administered by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which also administers the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard)
  • Canada: CMVSS
  • China: Guobiao standards
  • South Korea: KMVSS
  • Australia: ADR (Australian Design Rules) Australia applies some UNECE regulation such as regulation 16 and some FMVS 209 regulation[2].
  • Japan: Test Requirements and Instructions for Automobile Standards. As a member of both the 1958 and the 1998 agreement Japan applies 64 regulations from those two set of regulations[3].
  • India: AIS (Automotive Industry Standards), BSES (Bharat stage emission standards)
  • UK is an independent nation which inherited EU laws and might comply with some UNECE regulations
• Provincial/State
  • California state, United States: CARB (California Air Resources Board)

International harmonization history

The first steps toward harmonising vehicle regulations internationally were made in 1952 when WP.29, a working party of experts on technical requirements of vehicles was created. This resulted in the 1958 Agreement on uniform conditions of approval and mutual recognition of approvals of vehicles, components and parts.

There was a new agreement in 1998 whose objectives were to improve global safety, decrease environmental pollution and consumption of energy and improve anti‐theft performance of vehicles and related components and equipment through establishing global technical regulations (GTRs) in a Global Registry based on UNECE Regulations or on national regulations listed in a Compendium of candidates, GTR harmonising them at the highest level. In 2000, WP.29 became the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations that is a working party of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe(UNECE).

Table of regulations

Global regulations

Global regulation number	Global regulation title	Australia	Canada	PRC	EU	India	Japan	Russia	US
1	Door locks and door retention components	into national law	into national law		Transposition		into national law	Transposition	Transposition
2	Measurement procedure for two-wheeled motorcycles (...) with regard to the emission of gaseous pollutants, CO 2 emissions and fuel consumption				Regional law
3	Motorcycle brake systems		Transposition		Transposition		into national law	Transposition	Transposition
4	(...) natural gas (NG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) (...) the emission of pollutants (WHDC)
5	on-board diagnostic systems (OBD) for road vehicles				Transposition			Transposition
6	Safety glazing				Transposition			Transposition
7	Head restraints		into national law with amendments
8	Electronic stability control systems	into national law with amendments and exemptions	transposed into national law with amendments and exemptions		Transposition			Transposition
9	Pedestrian safety				into national law		into national law	into national law
10	Off-cycle emissions (OCE)				Transposition
11	(...) agricultural and forestry tractors (...) emissions of pollutants by the engine				Transposition		into national law with amendments
12	Location, identification and operation of motorcycle controls, tell-tales and indicators				Transposition
13	hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles
14	Pole Side Impact
15	WLTP
16	Tyres
17
18

Specific regulations

	UNECE Europe[4]	USA[5]	Global[6]	India[7]	Japan	China	South Korea	Australia	Gulf
Doors	UN R11	FMVSS 206	GTR 1	IS 14225					GSO 419/1994, GSO 420/1994
Steering wheel	UN R12	FMVSS 203, FMVSS 204		AIS-096		GB 11557-2011
Seat belts	UN R14	FMVSS 209		AIS-015					GSO 96/1988, GSO 97/1988
Child restraint system	UN R44, R129	FMVSS 213		AIS-072	JIS D 040122000	GB 14166-2013	KMVSS 103-2	AS/NZS 1754:2013; AS/NZS 3629:2013	GSO 1709/2005, GSO 1710/2005
Head restraints	UN R17	FMVSS 202a	GTR 7	IS 15546					GSO 1598/2002
Seats	UN R17, UN R80			AIS-016, AIS-023
Occupant head impact	UN R21	FMVSS 201		IS 15223	Art. 20	GB 11552-2009	KMVSS 88	ADR 21
Rear impact	UN R32, UN R34	FMVSS 202a, FMVSS 301		AIS-101	Art. 15‐J017‐01	GB 20072-2006			GSO 37/2012
Bumper impact	UN R42	FMVSS 581		AIS-006		GB 17354-1998			GSO 41/2007
Side windows	UN R43	FMVSS 205, FMVSS 226	GTR 6
Rollover		FMVSS 208
Roof strength	UN R66	FMVSS 216, FMVSS 216a		AIS-031		GB 26134-2010			GSO 39/2005
Offset frontal impact	UN R94	FMVSS 208		AIS-098	Art. 18	GB/T 20913-2007	KMVSS 102	ADR 73/00	GSO 36/2005
Side impact - moving barrier	UN R95	FMVSS 214	GTR 14	AIS-099	Art. 18 Attachmt. 24	GB 20071-2006	KMVSS 102	ADR 72/00	GSO 1707/2005, GSO 1708/2005
Pedestrian protection	UN R127, EC R78/2009, EC R631/2009		GTR 9	AIS-100	Art. 18 Attachmt. 99	GB/T 24550-2009	KMVSS 102-2
Side pole impact	UN R135	FMVSS 214	GTR 14		Art. 18	GB/T 37337/2019	KMVSS 102-4	ADR 85/00
Side door intrusion / Side door strength		FMVSS 214		IS 12009				ADR 29/00	GSO 38/2005
Full frontal impact	UN R137	FMVSS 208		AIS-096	Art. 18 Attachmt. 23	GB 11551-2014	KMVSS 102-3	ADR 69/00	GSO 36/2005
Sleeper coaches				AIS-119
Vehicle interior noise	(proposal)	49 CFR 393.94		AIS-020
Vehicle exterior noise (noise pollution)	UN R9, UN R41, UN R51, UN R63	40 CFR 205.52		Environment (Protection) Amendment Rules
Electric vehicle warning sounds (AVAS)	Regulation 540/2014, UN R138	FMVSS 141
Motorcycle helmets	UN R22	FMVSS 218		IS 4151	JIS T 8133:2000			AS/NZS 1698
Automotive lights		FMVSS 108
Front underrun protection	UN R93			AIS-069
Rear underrun protection	UN R58	FMVSS 223, FMVSS 224		IS 14812
Lateral protection devices	UN R73			IS 14682
Truck cabs	UN R29			AIS-029

Other shared regulations

Japan applies and is member of following UNECE regulations[8]

• 3, approval of retro-reflecting devices for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
• 4, illumination of rear registration plates of power-driven vehicles and their trailers
• 6, approval of direction indicators for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
• 7, front and rear position lamps, stop-lamps and end-outline marker lamps for motor vehicles and their trailers
• 10, electromagnetic compatibility
• 11, door latches and door retention components
• 12, protection of the driver against the steering mechanism in the event of impact
• 13, braking
• 14, safety-belt anchorages
• 16, various safety belt related considerations
• 17, seats, their anchorages and any head restraints
• 19, front fog lamps
• 21, interior fittings
• 23, reversing and manoeuvring lamps for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
• 25, head restraints (headrests), whether or not incorporated in vehicle seats
• 26, external projections
• 27, advance-warning triangles
• 28, audible warning devices and of motor vehicles with regard to their audible warning signals
• 30, pneumatic tyres for motor vehicles and their trailers
• 34, prevention of fire risks
• 37, filament light sources for use in approved lamps of power-driven vehicles and of their trailers
• 38, rear fog lamps for power-driven vehicles and their trailers
• 39, speedometer and odometer equipment including its installation
• 41, motor cycles with regard to noise
• 43, safety glazing materials and their installation on vehicles
• 44, Child Restraint Systems
• 45, headlamp cleaners, and of power-driven vehicles with regard to headlamp cleaners
• 46, devices for indirect vision and of motor vehicles with regard to the installation of these devices
• 48, installation of lighting and light-signalling devices
• 50, front position lamps, rear position lamps, stop lamps, direction indicators and rear-registration-plate illuminating devices for vehicles of category L
• 51, motor vehicles having at least four wheels with regard to their sound emissions
• 54, pneumatic tyres for commercial vehicles and their trailers
• 58, Rear underrun ...
• 60, two-wheeled motor cycles and mopeds with regard to driver-operated controls including the identification of controls, tell-tales and indicators
• 62, power-driven vehicles with handlebars with regard to their protection against unauthorized use
• 64, vehicles with regard to their equipment which may include: a temporary use spare unit, run flat tyres and/or a run flat system and/or extended mobility tyres
• 66, large passenger vehicles with regard to the strength of their superstructure
• 70, rear marking plates for heavy and long vehicles
• 75, pneumatic tyres for L-category vehicles
• 77, parking lamps for power-driven vehicles
• 78, vehicles of categories L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 with regard to braking
• 79, steering equipment
• 80, seats of large passenger vehicles and of these vehicles with regard to the strength of the seats and their anchorages
• 81, rear-view mirrors of two-wheeled power-driven vehicles
• 85, internal combustion engines or electric drive trains intended for the propulsion of motor vehicles of categories M and N with regard to the measurement of the net power and the maximum 30 minutes power of electric drive trains

References

1. https://www.baileygreer.com/the-new-nafta-and-its-effects-on-safety-and-the-environment/
2. https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2012L00468
3. https://www.japanindustrynews.com/2015/11/electric-cars-role-of-standards-in-japan-and-abroad/
4. http://www.unece.org/trans/areas-of-work/vehicle-regulations/agreements-and-regulations/un-regulations-1958-agreement/un-regulations-addenda-to-the-1958-agreement/old-version-of-regulations-pages/regs-1-20.html
5. https://one.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/FMVSS/index.html
6. http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29wgs/wp29gen/wp29glob_registry.html
7. https://www.araiindia.com/Publish_AIS_Standards.asp
8. https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/2020/ECE-TRANS-WP.29-343-Rev.28-Add.1.pdf

• Synoptic about International Regulations
• "The World Forum for the harmonization of vehicle regulations (WP.29)". United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and Executive Committee -Sustainable Transport Division.